


The Creeping

by WatashiRedbean



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Assassins & Hitmen, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Gangs, Low-key character death, M/M, Mafia AU, Shameless Smut, Smut, Twisted and Fluffy Feelings, monster au, non-established relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-23
Updated: 2017-04-21
Packaged: 2018-07-16 21:59:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 51,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7286227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WatashiRedbean/pseuds/WatashiRedbean
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>EXO was the second most influential and successful syndicate in South Korea, until an unexpected police raid left them devastated with nowhere to go.<br/>Forced to go undercover for their own protection, the eight boys infiltrate and begin to work under the most powerful Mafia organisation in the country: The Wu Group, led by the infamous Wu Yi Fan and his small group of deadly Chinese affiliates.<br/>In order to survive they must stay out of the spotlight of these men- their life-long rivals of the underground, who would end them in a heartbeat- whilst preserving their bonds to one another through the challenges ahead. </p><p>Loosely based off of the Monster MV.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1.

**Author's Note:**

> 'Sup sinners.  
> This will be a multific, with a lot of smut on the horizon, so please bear with me~.  
> Also, for the context of this fic, Lay will be part of the Chinese Mafia from the start, despite him still being a part of EXO. I didn't do that for any symbolic reason (like the rumours of him leaving or whatever T.T), I just felt like it would work better with the dynamics of the relationships and the storyline. Huehue.  
> Anyways I hope u nerds enjoy this trash ;3

A figure sat alone in the spacious room, the only light source being the red emergency light above the exit and the flickering of the numerous monitors that surrounded his being on three sides. They cast the room in an eerie, red glow, shrouding him in darkness. The man couldn’t help but dryly note the relevance of the colour, given the nature of his job.

The room resembled an office, if an ordinary office contained no less than eight screens, an assortment of keyboards and controls littering the desk that stretched across three walls and wires criss-crossing every other available surface. The back wall was covered from wall to ceiling with cabinets and shelves stacked with books and weapons, the metal door located systematically by the corner- furthest away from the man, in order to give him sufficient time to react if his sanctuary were to be breached.  
Wide eyes fixated on the screen directly in front of them, pupils dilating as his irises avidly tracked the movements of his peers and affiliates on the security feeds. The space was silent except for his soft breathing and the low humming of the computers. This was doing absolutely nothing to curb the fatigue curling in the corners of his mind as he fought to stay alert. A glance at the digital clock at the edge of the feed he was monitoring told him he only had to endure another half an hour of his shift before an underling would take over.

He remained stoic, releasing a slow exhale as he returned his gaze to the warehouse feeds. It was getting busy in there, they must be preparing for the return of-

A flashing amber light on the control panel to his left captured his attention and he turned his head to its corresponding feed. The request for entrance came from outside the west wing, and he immediately frowned upon recognising the identity of the male in the grainy image. The man was a fellow associate, so the observer instantly granted him access. He watched intently as the tall male accepted the earpiece handed to him by the muscle-bound guard waiting on the other side of the highly-secured doorway.

Even through the screens, the security guard could feel the confidence oozing out of his colleague as he strutted through the dimly-lit hallways. He pushed his long, blonde and blood-soaked hair off of his face, flashing a cheeky wink and grin to the camera in the corner, which the guard scoffed at. This only served to reveal the extent of the grime covering his lean frame and handsome face. Across his tanned cheeks there was a smattering of blood which trailed down his neck and seeped into his black turtleneck. His leather jacket, however, seemed as pristine as ever. The officer rolled his eyes; of course the brat would remove it before getting down to business, the materialistic-

Large hands clapped down on his slight shoulders, startling him out of his reverie. Not wasting a single second, the man pulled down on the arms with considerable strength often not expected of his short stature and only stopped twisting the arms at an unusual angle when his saw the face of the intruder.

“Yah! Kim Jongin, do you have a death wish?” He let the younger fall ungracefully onto the floor, glaring full force at the smirk adorning the other’s lips.

“Good to see you too, hyung.” Jongin winked cockily, and bounced to his feet, smoothly perching himself on the edge of the desk whilst remaining mindful of the equipment littering its surface.

The elder huffed in mock frustration, inwardly grateful for his boyfriend’s presence after a long and trying shift. But god forbid he externally show his appreciation. He batted a leather-clad arm forcefully, signalling for the boy to move away from the desk.

“Don’t sit there; you’ll get my equipment dirty.” He cast a disapproving glance down the length of Jongin’s body. The gore was even worse up front, of course. As suspected, the beloved leather jacket was unharmed, but beneath it the officer could see how the woolly fabric of the turtleneck was tacky and clung unpleasantly to his torso. His black, skinny jeans were ripped in more places than they were when the teenager left earlier that evening, and his boots were shining and slick with red liquid.

Jongin pouted but complied, aware of his hyung’s temper if his gadgets were messed with. He instead compromised by perching himself on the armrest of the male’s luxurious leather seat. Noticing the lack of attention, he began to nuzzle the elder’s cropped black hair affectionately.

“Kyungie, when do you finish? I’m hungry…” He pressed his mischievous grin into the vanilla-scented hair, relishing in the slow exhale that is released between plush lips.

“Twenty minutes or so, then Taeyong will take over. Why don’t you go and clean yourself up whilst you wait? I’ll cook tonight.” Kyungsoo promised in a low voice, eyes still avidly roaming the screens. “Besides, that’s D.O to you whilst we’re on the clock.” He scolded lightly, tapping on his own wireless earpiece to remind the younger boy that they were still online and that their six other colleagues could potentially be checked in to the private network. Their resident computer genius and world-class hacker Minseok may have repeatedly boasted the security of said network against unknown ears, but Kyungsoo wasn’t one to tempt fate.

Kai gave a non-committal hum against the short strands, having heard this reprimand many times before. Honestly the only thing he wanted to do was gather the older boy in his arms and drag him away from the stuffy conditions he insisted on residing in for fourteen hours a day. (“It’s my job, Jongin. I need to do it properly for everyone’s sake.” “You need rest too. Besides, you can just get Taeyong or Do young to cover you, right? It’s not like they can refuse.” “Yes, but unlike you, I don’t fancy a reputation as a duty-dodger.”)

Honestly, he was a little concerned for Soo’s health. He angled his head to get a good look at the other’s face. Whilst it was still undeniably handsome, his skin was just a shade too pallid; his large, dewy eyes were underlined with dark circles and his smooth skin was taught with small stress lines. His thick lips were dry and chapped- clear evidence of the persistent worrying of teeth.

Noticing his boyfriend’s scrutiny, Kyungsoo rolled his eyes and pushed the puppy-eyed, blood-coated male out of his line of vision. “I’m fine. Go.”

Although Jongin would’ve loved to loiter around his boyfriend’s working space for a little longer, he knew when not to test the man’s world-renowned temper. “Don’t worry hyung, I will cook tonight. You could do with a break.” And with the exchange of a chaste kiss, Jongin left the room, the gentle click and beep of the door signalling his exit.

Kyungsoo groaned gently and scrubbed his eyes. Shifting to get comfortable again, he reset his focus onto the feeds once again. Only 16 more minutes…

 

*

Chanyeol grumbled to himself as he steered the truck single-handedly up to the large, animatronic gates, his headlights reflecting brilliantly off the metal structures. He used his free hand to comb long fingers through his cherry-red hair as he absentmindedly drove into the complex as he thought back on the less-than-ideal extraction mission than went down that day. He could just make out the slim figure of his friend next to him in the darkness, and could sense the tension radiating off of the younger’s form. Pulling up slowly into the entrance of a warehouse, he turned off the headlights as the harsh lighting of the vast interior infiltrated the small, stuffy cabin. He could hear the steady breaths of their remaining affiliates in the back of the truck, no doubt still on edge despite now being in a safe and secure environment. He parked in his designated space and turned off the ignition, sighing as he turned to face the dour expression on the other boy’s face.

“Look, Sehun, I’m not saying it was perfect, but we got the job done. You don’t have to worry about those men; we took them down.” He patted the raven-haired boy’s thigh reassuringly, only to have it pushed off with a scoff.

“I’m not worried,” he began, punctuating his statement with roll of his dark eyes. “I just hate losing valuable merchandise to scum.”

Chanyeol just snorted and shook his head, jumping down from the cabin as Sehun followed him, eyes narrowing.

Of course the brat wasn’t worried- all he had space for in his cold heart was money; how much, where from and what for. For a boy of eighteen, he was awfully attached to the papery stuff- almost disturbingly so. Chanyeol personally thought he had an addiction that had yet to be addressed, but he never commented because despite his foul attitude, Sehun was an exceptionally good money-earner. Only through illegal means, of course, but nonetheless he had skill.

Whilst it is true a few of their weapons were damaged in the upheaval and would likely end up on the scrap pile, the majority of their new-found stash was in pristine condition and ready to make them a tidy profit. It was just one of the gambles of arms trafficking in these times. But of course their youngest would focus on their failures. Such a driven boy, Chanyeol mused jokingly.

He took the youngest under his arm and ruffled his hair as he signalled to the waiting men to begin unloading. He appreciated his height and strength in this situation; he was able to see over the masses enough to pinpoint the man he wanted to see whilst keeping a firm grip on the squirming boy in his hold.

Making his way through the thick crowd of men scurrying between vehicles, he approached the grey-haired male standing in the centre of the organised chaos -the eye of the storm if you will -Suho. As Chanyeol hurriedly accepted their wireless earpieces from a passing guard, he dragged the limp form of his friend up to their leader, schooling his expression into one of disinterest. As safe as their base was, it didn’t hurt to maintain their professionality around their subordinates. There was always the chance that one of them wasn’t entirely loyal –despite the rigorous background checks and taster sessions of what would come should they betray them- so they couldn’t risk getting too friendly around one another. Weakness was not tolerated here.

Suho threw a clipped smile their way, a hint of warmth reflected in his brown eyes. He waved them over, waiting until the two members were close enough before addressing them.

“Chanyeol, Sehun, I see you’ve completed the extraction successfully. Good work.”

The taller nodded in confirmation, whilst the younger- who managed to force his way out of the other’s grasp- remained silent. Sensing the tension from his youngest friend, Suho stepped towards him.

“Any complications?” Sehun simply rolled his eyes, glaring at Chanyeol as if the mishap was his fault. Chanyeol knew that the boy only felt anger at himself for the loss of greater profit and was pushing his foul mood onto him, so he refrained from beating the boy too harshly around the head in warning. Taking pleasure in the hiss of pain, he spoke in a low voice, not missing the mirth in their leader’s orbs.

“A few. We were subjected to vehicle checks outside both Cheonan and Daegu, but we handled the matter quickly. The officers were taken care of.” Suho smirked at the implication of the taller man’s words. Trust his men to kill their way out of a tough situation. He’d trained them well.

“Some of the arms weren’t recovered during the police raid. We apologise.” Sehun added in a bitter tone.

Suho merely shrugged. Plenty more extraction tasks were planned for the weeks ahead; their lost profit would be seen to with the fee of the goods they were promised. Sehun frowned at his hyung’s nonchalance. He was usually a calm, restrained person, but foolishly lost money often didn’t take well with Suho. His being in charge of an entire syndicate based in the underworld of Busan meant that Suho often took his position seriously. Finances were essential when running the second largest mafia organisation in South Korea, as they relied on this money to keep them on top of the game. The richer, the deadlier, as Jongin always said.

And today’s losses were no small penny out of their extensive bank account. Arms’ trafficking was an extremely well-paid business- when conducted properly- and EXO heavily relied on Chanyeol and Sehun’s team to deliver the arms to be sold on the black market for steep prices. It wasn’t without risks, but it paid their way into the heart of the underground community with little trouble.

“Don’t fret too much boys. We have other orders on the horizon that will smooth over today’s…mishap.” They grey-haired man murmured. A cheeky grin tugged at the corners of his lips, his handsome face darkening a fraction at the prospect of yet more wealth. A matching grin tweaked at Sehun’s mouth- the most expression one could hope to see from the sullen teen.

Chanyeol tutted exaggeratedly, his own lips pulling into a smile at the leader’s (poorly) hidden excitement and his friend’s perkier demeanour.

“If I hadn't known you both for nigh on fifteen years, I would think you were driven solely by money.” He mocked light-heartedly, relishing in the small chuckle from Suho and the jab in the ribs from Sehun.

“Money is no joke, Yeol,” the younger growled at the same time the leader mumbled “You wouldn’t be mistaken.” Chanyeol just ruffled the messy strands of Sehun's hair in response whilst flashing the elder a shit-eating grin. He was beyond relieved that their impromptu inspections hadn’t led to bigger problems for the organisation (and that Suho hadn’t blown up in their faces for not monitoring the police reports on their route), because right now all he wanted to do was sign off and get some sleep. Four o’clock starts to beat the morning patrols took their toll on a man, after all.

The evening would be beyond perfect if a certain someone would return in the next few hours, he thought wistfully.

Bidding goodbye to their leader with a polite bow, the two men made their way through the throng of men carrying their cargo towards the exit tunnel. Finally in the quieter hallways, Chanyeol activated his earpiece.

“How can I help?”

To Chanyeol’s surprise, it wasn’t D.O’s voice that greeted him on the other side of the wire.

“Doyoung?” At the name, Sehun shot him a questioning glance to which the red-head shrugged in response. He heard the young boy’s breath hitch over the feed and couldn’t suppress a smirk; his deep voice tended to have an… effect on people, and he'd always found it amusing.

“Yes sir?”

“Where’s D.O?” He demanded. This wasn’t exactly a professional call and he didn’t like conversing with his subordinates if at all possible. Although he was well aware that Doyoung would be able to answer his queries just as well as his short, lovably temperamental dongsaeng, it just wouldn’t be the same.

“He finished his shift ten minutes ago. Would you like me to direct you to him?” The rookie’s chirpy voice sounded loud in his ear in comparison to the silence of the corridors he was walking down.

“No that’s quite alright. I’m sure D.O doesn’t want to be disturbed. Just tell me of Baekhyun’s whereabouts.”

There were a few seconds of silence on the line as the orange-haired boy communicated with the guards and scanned the security feeds. Sehun stopped in front of the door before them, quickly tapping in the code into the keypad by the side before it opened with a soft hiss and metallic beep.

He was halfway down the next corridor when he finally received a response.

“I’ve been informed that he’s still away on mission right now, and isn’t due back for another forty minutes or so, sir.” Chanyeol nodded absentmindedly. He thought he could faintly recall Baek telling him the purpose of this assigned task last night in bed, but he struggled to remember all the details provided by his sleep-hazed memory.

“What’s the intent?”

“Just a simple meeting. Information extraction, it says here.”

Ah, yes. His memory jogged, he thanked the younger for his work before signing out.

“So where is he?” Sehun asked, breaking him from his thoughts as they made their way into the eastern-most wing of the multi-storey building; their group’s private quarter.

“Intel mission, apparently. On his way back soon.” Chanyeol’s response was clipped, and although his expression held neutral, Sehun had known him long enough to sense the unease practically dripping from the taller man.

It wasn’t unusual for Chanyeol to be on edge when Baekhyun was out on his missions, even the cut-and-dry ones like today's. But Sehun would be lying if he said he didn’t find it just a little tedious; Baekhyun was an adult, and a feisty one at that. He was one of their more skilled members and was capable of holding his own in a fight, so he couldn’t understand Chanyeol’s unending and irrational fear of the smaller man landing himself in trouble through his self-run spy network. If trouble came Baekhyun’s way, Sehun was certain that the man would send three times the trouble back in retaliation without having to lift a perfectly-manicured finger. The man was a drama queen. A deadly, psychotic, fashion-savvy drama queen, sat upon a throne of human networks and dead bodies. In his opinion, Chanyeol needed to worry for his own safety, not his boyfriend’s.

By the time the two made it into the living quarters of their building, Chanyeol was displaying a few nervous ticks; his lips were bitten raw, and the sleeves of his black hoodie were pulled over his wrists and being wrung over and over in his large hands. Sehun sneered. For such a cold-blooded workaholic, the red-head certainly had a soft spot for his companion and it bothered him for reasons he couldn't identify.

They dumped their dirt-caked boots at the door, socks softly slapping the hard wood floors as they made their way over to the empty selection of leather couches on the far side of the room. Although the room was quiet, the boys could see light emanating from the doorway of the kitchen at the back. Hushed voices filtered through too, alongside the homely smell of spices and roast vegetables.

Whilst Sehun opted to flop onto the largest, cream sofa in the room, Chanyeol snuck into the kitchen. A warm smile spread across his face when he saw the short man by the stove, another taller male by his side.

“Soo-ah, Jongin-ah!”

The latter stopped fiddling with the dark-haired boy’s pastel blue apron long enough to give his hyung a wave and a smile. Chanyeol noticed with a raised brow how little the blonde was wearing- the only garment on his lean body being a pair of grey sweatpants. Kyungsoo, on the other hand, looked far more appropriately dressed for culinary practices. He had changed into black skinny jeans and one of Jongin’s white knitted jumpers, over which a cutesy apron was tied.

Said man waved a spatula in greeting as Chanyeol wandered past the island to the fridge, intent on finding a bottle of water. Retreating with a cold bottle in hand, he sniffed at the collection of spitting vegetables sitting in the wok over Kyungsoo’s right shoulder.

“It smells really good, ‘Soo. Enough to go around I hope. Or am I interrupting a romantic dinner for two?” He teased, narrowly avoiding the impact of the metal instrument the shorter man threw his way.

Laughing good-naturedly, Jongin spoke. “Only if you promise to share it with the others, and not to scoff if all by yourself like you did last week.” Chanyeol frowned. In his defence, he had been away on a drug trafficking run for four days before he returned to base, and had only eaten two samgak-gimbaps he’d bought from a run-down petrol station throughout the entirety of the trip. He had been starving, hence his possessiveness over Kyungsoo’s eight-portion meal upon his return.

“The way I see it, you guys should’ve fought harder for your servings. It was nothing more than a case of survival of the fittest.” He jested, once again having to avoid a savage beating from a rouge spatula as Jongin snorted.

“Yeollie, we both know that if all our survival skills were truly put to test, you would be the first to perish.” Kyungsoo deadpanned, eyes still fixed on the sizzling contents of the wok as he stirred them periodically. From the next room, there came the unmistakable sounds of snickers. Chanyeol glared at the doorway. Damn Sehun.

“Whatever. Am I getting any of the damn food or not?” The combination of his grumbling stomach and the long day was making him impatient and tetchy, and frankly the delicious smell emanating from the vegetables and rice cooker weren’t helping his current predicament.

Kyungsoo clicked his tongue in disapproval of the older boy’s attitude, but looking into the pan, he figured there would be enough to go around. Taking pity on the giant, he sighed.

“When it’s ready, I will let you all know. Now please remove yourself from my kitchen; your presence is making the food rot.”

“Sweet.” He grinned, ignoring the rude barb in order to avoid antagonising Kyungsoo further.

As he returned to the significantly noisier lounge, he was bemused to see Sehun being dragged past him by a fuming Minseok into the kitchen, the much stronger boy leading the teenager with a fist in his hair.

He continued to watch as the bleach-blonde shoved a thrashing Sehun towards the island before proceeding to force his head into the sink and turning on the taps full force. The maknae spluttered incoherently as the torrent of water hit his head and face, his desperate pleas for forgiveness literally being drowned by the spray.

Chanyeol felt more than saw another’s presence at his side.

“It’s been a rough day all around, huh.” Jongdae quipped, voice chipper despite the attempted homicide occurring before his eyes. Chanyeol hummed and moved into a comfortable resting position against the doorframe. Jongdae mimicked the action on the other side.

“Yup” he said in English, popping the ‘p’. “But what exactly did he do to set off Minseok-hyung this time?”

Through his peripheral vision, he could see Jongdae’s kittenish lips curling into a grin.

“I didn’t catch the whole argument, but I think Sehun may have changed Minseok’s desktop background to tiles of his own butt that he found on Baekhyun’s phone.”

Pursing his lips, they continued to idly watch the youngest member repent for his sins in the eldest’s grip. It didn’t even faze him to know that his boyfriend had a stash of the other member’s butts in his photo library; his thirst was renowned throughout the underground.

“I-it’s cold! Please- M-min, I’m sorry-“ Sehun gasped when he was let up for a second of air. He was then forcefully pushed back under the spray without warning, his knuckles white where they scrabbled at the edge of the granite counter top. 

From across the island, Kyungsoo removed the wok from the heat as he moved to check on the rice, not paying the two squabbling boys any attention. Jongin, however, was excitedly egging his friends on as he doubled over with laughter.

There was no force on this planet that would convince them to try to interfere when Minseok flew into one of his rages, which were notoriously explosive and easily triggered. Unfortunately for Sehun, he'd picked the wrong day to mess with the angelic-looking man’s personal possessions, and was therefore paying a hefty price for his trouble. The three voyeurs knew that Minseok wouldn’t actually drown the flailing boy though; having grown up together, the boys were all extremely close and considered themselves a family. A dysfunctional but powerful family that looked out for one another, although Chanyeol was sure that they'd all considered murdering each other at some point.

To Sehun’s relief, the front door swung open at that second, and the boys could hear a low voice murmuring in the hallway before Suho emerged, still chatting into his earpiece. Seeing the small gathering at the entrance to the kitchen, he shuffled over.

“- make sure he reports to me upon arrival…thank you Doyoung, you too-hold on, what do you think you’re doing? Minseok, stop!” The pretty man’s eyes widened almost comically as he rushed past Chanyeol and Jongdae to shove the blonde off of the slumped form of his baby. He hastily signed off with Doyoung as he came to the youngest’s aid.

Finally released, Sehun frantically gasped for air as he fell against Suho’s smaller form. His dark strands clung to his forehead and eyes and rivulets of water dripped off his chin. Suho guided Sehun out of the kitchen with an arm around his thin waist, shooting a heated glare at Minseok who stood by the island, a deep scowl still painted on his face as he watched the brat’s retreating form.

The grey-haired male gently guided Sehun onto a couch, rubbing soothing circles into his back as he continued to hiccup up water. Chanyeol shot a rueful smile at the well-built blonde who huffed before marching out of the kitchen and down the hallway. Chanyeol knew he wouldn't be seeing that hyung for the rest of the night.

Jongdae briefly migrated to Sehun’s side to pat his head sympathetically, but all he received in return was a glare from the teen. An understanding smile danced on the elder’s chiselled face before he followed after his temperamental lover.

Soon after, Kyungsoo loudly announced that dinner was ready, and everyone gathered in the dining room to enjoy the meal. Except Minseok and Jongdae of course, although the latter did emerge to collect and return their own meals, apologising on behalf of the elder for his absence.

The remaining group spent the rest of the night sprawled out on the sofas, the plasma TV running a reality programme that none of them were truly paying attention to. They were too absorbed in their own conversations which lulled them into sleep as night descended upon them.

 

*

 

Two voices stirred him from his light sleep, tones hushed. Blinking slowly to rid his eyes of the bleariness, Chanyeol kept completely still as the conversation continued.

“I suggest you keep low for a while.” That was Suho, his voice carrying from across the room where the two were standing by the entry hallway.

“But what if he’s been captured by our rivals? We can’t afford a loose tongue on this matter.” The dulcet tones of his boyfriend were tinged with worry. He had to physically restrain himself from jumping over the sofa and gathering the man into his arms in relief. 

The conversation seemed private, but Chanyeol wanted to get a grip on the situation unfurling in the dark corner whilst he could, so he stayed put, feigning sleep. Glancing tentatively at the couch angled perpendicular to his, he could see Kyungsoo curled up in Jongin’s lap, their faces lax with sleep. Sehun was on the floor by his feet, his head a warm weight on his right thigh.

“We will send Jongdae out to take care of him immediately. If he has talked, we will simply cut down any and all informants. Calm down, Baekhyun.” Chanyeol became more alert at the man’s tone; the leader’s voice was firm and cold.

“I am calm. I just don’t understand how he was intercepted- he had guards shadowing him at all times, and none of them can explain to me how he was captured. They said it was as if he vanished into thin air!” The spy whispered furiously. Even angled away from the conversation, Chanyeol could picture his lover’s agitated hand movements as he talked. It was an endearing yet problematic habit of his - it alerted others to his rising anxiety. Baekhyun was a man of many talents, but concealing his emotions (particularly during times of stress) was decidedly not one of them.

“Vanished… wait. Ugh.” Suho’s groan was low but drawn out.

“I can’t believe this - fucking Got7.” The man snarled.

There was a moment of silence, followed by a series of sighs and the shuffling of feet.  
“Right. So we have an idea of his whereabouts. Let’s just finish him. If Jaebum’s boys have hold of him it won’t take much to get him to speak.”

Chanyeol heard Baekhyun’s hum of agreement.

More silence. Chanyeol waited with bated breath.

“Okay. You go fetch Jongdae and Minseok from their room. We will need Doyoung on the line and Minseok to guide Jongdae through the motions, just in case. Tell the two to meet me in the Arms division in five. The sooner we get this show on the road, the better off we’ll be.”

“Yes sir.”

Chanyeol couldn’t hear Baekhyun’s footfalls moving away down the hall, but he did hear Suho’s breathy chuckle.

“Yeol, since you’re up, would you mind lending us a helping hand?” Although he knew he shouldn’t be surprised by Suho’s attentiveness, he would be lying if he said it didn’t spook him out a little. It was like that man saw everything.

To be fair he probably did; the man was a fucking wizard.

Seeing no point in faking sleep any longer, Chanyeol stretched out, mindful of Sehun’s head lolling around on his tingling thigh.

Carefully guiding the youth’s head to the floor, the red-head rose to greet his leader with a guilty grin.

Suho chuckled at the look on the other’s face. It was remarkably similar to that of a child who'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

“Get the necessary arms ready. You know Chen’s preferences. Also prepare and brief a minimum of fifteen men to accompany him. We can’t afford to be unprepared.”

“Yes sir.”

Chanyeol fished out his earpiece from his hoodie and turned it on, barking out a command for Doyoung to get the fifteen marksmen assembled on the lower floor. As he entered the southern quarters of the building, he wondered if Baek would wait up for him. Probably not. Actually, he hoped not. By the sounds of it, the older boy had a stressful day at the salon. From what Chanyeol had heard, he could only guess that Baekhyun had been awaiting an informant for news on the movements of the growing rival gang, BTS, but the man never made it to the meeting point.

He grimaced. It always got complicated when third parties got involved with their affairs, and it never ended well for the aforementioned party. Especially not where EXO was involved.

EXO may have been the most influential and powerful crime ring in Busan, but they didn’t underestimate the other gangs. No risk was worth taking when it came to the underground. Got7 had a reputation for knowing other people’s business and selling or using this knowledge to get themselves out of sticky situations or to stir trouble.They were manipulative and skilled, and Chanyeol could understand Suho’s trepidation at the possibility of the seven boys having their informant in their merciless clutches. The last thing EXO needed was a turf war when BTS discovered that they were tracking their activities.

Within ten minutes, Jongdae was fully equipped with fifteen gunmen, Minseok and Doyoung in his ear and Suho overseeing the whole operation from the Meeting Room. Jongdae’s youthful face no longer appeared cheery, and his slanted eyes had lost their energetic spark. Instead, it had been replaced with a cool and calculating gaze that cut through the souls of those it was cast upon, turning blood to ice in a millisecond. It was the gaze of a killer.

This transformation never failed to disturb Chanyeol, despite having witnessed it countless times over the years. Chen was conversing stiltedly with the two men beside him, clad in black face masks as they spoke in quiet tones. He must’ve been given the signal to proceed, as Chen gave a sharp nod to the men behind him, storming out of the building through the dim tunnels.

When Chanyeol was left alone in the large, neon-lit arms cabinet, he allowed himself to relax. He couldn’t see how his cooperation would benefit the mission any longer, so he signed off after exchanging evening pleasantries with Doyoung.

He checked his watch as he walked back down the winding hallways, all of them lit with their ‘night-mode’, energy-saving neon bulbs.

Once he reached his bedroom he opened the door, smiling when he saw the silhouette of his boyfriend curled up under the thick sheets of his double bed. He closed the door silently, although he doubted that the other was truly sleeping. His suspicions were confirmed as Baekhyun rolled over to meet his gaze, his eyes droopy but warm.

Stripping down to his boxers, he crawled under the warm duvet next to the lithe man. Baekhyun was still staring up at him, his black hair fluffy and parted to the side, revealing kohl-lined eyes and a cherubic face. Thin but plush, pink lips were stretched into a soft grin, and Chanyeol couldn’t help but press a soft kiss against them. When he tried to deepen the kiss, Baekhyun pulled back, his button nose scrunched up cutely.

“You smell, Yeol.” he whispered.

Chanyeol snorted. “You don’t exactly smell like a flower shop either. And you've still got makeup on." He teased, gathering the hot little body in his arms as he got comfortable against the pillows. “It's hot.”

"So I couldn't be asked to remove some eyeliner at the end of a long and very trying day, sue me.” Chanyeol simply grinned at Baek’s pout.

“Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you when you break out in spots tomorrow.” He spoke into the skin of the other’s pale neck as he nuzzled the column of his throat affectionately. He could feel the soft vibration of the other’s vocal chords as he hummed in annoyance.

The two stayed in that position for what felt like ages, before Chanyeol roused the other from his light slumber by pressing feather-light kisses to the available skin. “Baek?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you okay?”

Baekhyun pressed a smile into the soft strands of the younger’s fiery hair, his fingers gently clasping the roots in the darkness.

“I’m fine. Why do you ask?"

Chanyeol stared at him, unconvinced by his act of nonchalance. Baekhyun pressed a reassuring kiss to Chanyeol's forehead.

"It will all be sorted in a few hours anyway,” he murmured.

“True. Just… you will let me know if I can do anything to help, right?” He lifted his head from its nest between the other’s bare shoulders to look into the wide eyes glancing down at him.

“Of course, Yeol.” The whisper was almost silent, but sincere, and Chanyeol once again reached up to kiss the older boy.

“I wouldn’t give any of this up for the world.” Baekhyun sighed against Chanyeol’s lips; his breath fanning across the younger’s face enticingly. “I wouldn’t give you up.” He clarified, dark irises gazing beseechingly into Chanyeol’s own. The younger boy felt his heart clench at the desperation underlining the other’s words.

“You won’t ever have to, I’ll make sure of it.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is quite long ;-; hope you guys don't mind, I just felt the need to give you a little insight into the relationships between the boys in EXO and how it all works before all the drama kicks off...  
> But yeah, enjoy~! :3

The night was quiet, and the absence of clouds meant that any remaining heat from the midday sun had been lost. Jongdae took advantage in the drop of temperature shrouding the south-western district of Busan, using the darkness to cover his tracks. He let the soft breeze caress his chocolate-coloured locks out of his eyes as he judged his surroundings; his vantage point on the roof of a seemingly abandoned warehouse provided him with the perfect view of the barren area. 

To his left there were a few, small buildings scattered across the grounds, and beyond them lay open fields which led to the mountains in the distance 10 or so miles away, Jongdae calculated. Behind him was a similar scenario. To his right - the direction from which they entered this poorly-secured campus - laid the entrance and the gates. The security guard’s little hut looked pitifully small from the assassin’s high perch; his mangled body and those of his team on the tarmac below even more so. A few other dead bodies were dotted around the vicinity, with some belonging to the patrol guards, some his own men.

The dirt road they’d taken not five minutes ago was visible over the concrete wall, engulfed by the night as it cut through the expanse of flat land that stretched to the horizon where the blinking lights of the main city met the empty landscape.

Directly in front of him stood a series of eight, large warehouses, neatly stacked in a line up to the wall like a series of dominoes. Everything was silent and still and Jongdae loved it. He could feel his excitement peak at the palpable tension in the air, the hair on the back of his neck raising. He lived for the thrill of the game; cat and mouse, hunter and prey. 

He knew that it was an unpopular way of thinking, and unsurprisingly he’d often been on the receiving end of abuse for his actions in the past, but he never let it faze him. He was who he was, and he embraced the darker side of his conscience with ease. Besides, he was bought up this way; if anyone was to blame, it was his parents. The only people who loved him unconditionally, who looked after him despite the scorn they faced from their community and their family, who would put their lives on the line so that he could have a future…

“Chen.”

Until now. Minseok’s voice was steady in his ear, reminding him of the only other person who would never judge him. Minseok was special; he cared for Jongdae like nobody else had, and the young assassin loved him for the stability and peace he bought into his life. They’d met a long time ago as children, at a time when both were dealing with difficult situations.

“Chen, don’t you dare zone out on me. We don’t have the time.” His lover’s tone was authoritative, but not harsh. He was never rough with Jongdae, well, unless the latter requested such handling…

“I’m here Xiumin. I was just gauging the area.” His voice was muffled by the black mask covering his nose and mouth.

“How long does it take? I can see that it’s clear so get going already. He’s in Warehouse 29 if I’m not mistaken, the fourth one down.” 

Acquiescing with a quiet hum, he signalled to the remaining ten men on the ground to move out with a flick of his wrist and a whisper of “ the fourth one down” into the separate microphone that connected their earpieces.

Checking that his silencer was snuggly fitted to the barrel of his 20x20 M9-22, he flipped effortlessly off of the roof, landing steadily on his feet many meters below. He silently followed after his men, three hanging behind him to cover his flank. On approach to the designated building, Jongdae halted them in their tracks.

“Coverage?” He hissed to his hyung on the other side of the wire.

“Obviously I deactivated their security feeds seven minutes ago. They’re blind. You can proceed.” Jongdae smirked at the barely concealed annoyance dripping from the other’s voice. He knew that it pissed Minseok off when they doubted his ability to do his job, but it never hurt to be cautious.

They did as instructed, Jongdae standing to the side of the door as one of his men shot the handle off. They immediately burst through into the threshold only to be met with gunfire. Prepared for the fight, Jongdae’s men split off and took care of the guards, unit by unit.  
Jongdae ran down a maze of corridors, intent on finding the obscure room where their informant would likely be held captive. He panted into his earpiece, keen to finish this impromptu mission swiftly and efficiently.

“Xiumin, we are in.”

“I can see that. Okay, the blueprint of the building is impressive; it has a vast network of underground tunnels, so I think those will be our best shot. Take the next door on your right.”

Jongdae did as instructed, accompanied by three of his men. The others dispersed across the rest of the warehouse to annihilate any remaining threats. As soon as he opened the door, the small group found themselves at a stair case. Stepping towards the railings, Jongdae noted that there were several lower floors to this complex, which was pleasantly unexpected; he liked a challenge.

“Second floor down would be your best bet. The blueprints only record boiler rooms and a suspicious amount of unmarked cupboards on that level, so check them out first.” Xiumin murmured. 

“Okie-dokie~” Although his speech seemed cheerful, his expression was stoic and his eyes were cold. Pocketing his gun back into the holster on his hip, he related the information to his peers before flinging himself off the railings, freefalling down the gap in the stairwell. He caught himself expertly on the railings of the second floor, hauling his lean frame over the metal bars and dusting himself off with a flourish. 

“Ever the little show-off.” Xiumin scoffed, but Jongdae picked up the traces of adoration in his words. He flashed a wink at the closest security camera, knowing full well that the shorter male was monitoring them on his laptop. Sure enough, Xiumin's tutting could be heard down the line not a second later.

“Stop arsing around and do your job.”

“Of course, hyung.” By this point the other men had caught up with their acrobatic boss, and the small group made their way through the doorway on the landing, finding themselves in a large, poorly-lit corridor. It extended both left and right for several hundred meters before reaching a dead end. Several doorways adorned the drab walls. 

Tentatively, Jongdae signalled for the group to split; two of them heading down the right-hand section whilst the he and another operative took the left. Jongdae withdrew his gun, unlocking the safety and keeping a firm grip on it as he strode towards the nearest door. The only light came from a dodgy bulb hanging down from the ceiling and it was caked in grime, much like the rest of the vicinity. Water was dripping down in a steady stream at the end of the corridor, and the place smelt musty and foul.

“This complex is rarely used by the gang.” Xiumin explained to the younger, apparently sensing his distaste. “They just bought it to stash their goods on a temporary basis when they were building rep through drug smuggling a few years ago. Now, they tend to let the warehouses out to smaller criminal organisations or use it to hole up hostages.”

Mentally counting down from three, Jongdae threw one of the rusty doors open with a forceful kick, excitement dispersing when they were met with a small cupboard stacked with cleaning supplies. 

“How do you even know all this?” Jongdae huffed, throwing open the second door; an even smaller cupboard which housed nothing but a few weeds and a rat skeleton. Jongdae growled; his fingers were twitching with the need to pull the trigger.

“The world wide web is abundant with information of all kinds. You just need to know where to look.” Jongdae could practically visualise the smug expression adorning the blonde’s beautiful face, fully aware of the vague nature of his reply and the irritation it would elicit.

“I swear to god. Don’t say anything at all if it’s not going to be useful.” The brunette scowled. The hacker released a small chuckle before composing himself. No flirting or jesting whilst in enemy territory; the first rule Suho had established upon realising that the group was beginning to act upon their feelings for one another.

“Chen, try the last door on the right-hand side of the corridor, the room isn’t marked at all. Not very subtle of them…” 

Jongdae instantly rushed down the hallway, the rubber soles of his black leather boots squeaking on the laminate flooring. He left his subordinate to finish checking the last six doors on that side and bypassed the other two he’d sent this way. He came to a sudden halt in front of the door, bracing himself before barging through it.

He found himself in another corridor, this one better lit and in a much more pleasant condition. 

“I’m blind here. Is anything there?” Jongdae startled at this information.

“There’s no feed?” He asked, scanning the walls in search of a possible camera. 

“No. But I have eyes on our target. He’s in a small room, alone. There aren't any others in there with him, but he is conscious. Make it quick and accurate please, Suho’s orders.” 

Jongdae bit back a chuckle. “Yah, when am I not?” He was quickly approaching the end of the small hallway, and pressed his body up against the door to listen for movement. After all, neither man knew what lay beyond.

It was silent, except for a series of muted grunts and the shuffling of a chair against a carpet that could be made out thanks to Jongdae’s acute hearing. He retreated a few steps, readying his pistol.

“Hyung,” - he ignored the disapproving hum from the elder - “is our informant tied to a chair, gagged and currently fighting his restraints?” He could barely hold back the glee in his voice. All being well, the man would be dead in the next thirty seconds and they could all return to base and get some well-deserved sleep.

Picking up on the younger boy's good mood, Minseok couldn’t stop a smile splitting his face. “He is indeed. Have at him, Chen.”

Jongdae wasted no time in shooting the door down, relishing in the feel of the pistol recoiling in his grip. The room before him was indeed small, and bare, with the exception of the man tied to the metal chair in the middle. 

Upon recognising the face of the intruder behind the mask, the man’s eyes widened and he began to struggle against his restraints. Jongdae allowed himself a second to inspect the informant. He was fairly young – probably in his mid to late twenties - with dark hair that was slicked back away from his face, although a few strands had come loose in his desperation to escape. His face was attractive, even with the litany of dark bruises and cuts surrounding his eyes and mouth and the open wound sliced down his cheek. His big eyes were wild, no doubt understanding the intention behind Jongdae’s impromptu visit. He was gagged with a white cloth and his arms were twisted behind him at an uncomfortable angle, his chest heaving as he shook his head, eyes pleading- begging Jongdae not to do what he was-

Jongdae lifted his arm and fired in the span of a millisecond. The man slumped forward, whimpers dying in his throat. His eyes were still expressive as the white wall and carpet behind him was gruesomely decorated with a sloppy concoction of grey matter and blood. 

A few drops of blood dripped lazily from the neat wound in the centre of his forehead onto his denim jeans and Jongdae sighed in content. He loved the power rush that came with taking another’s life. It was a twisted sensation, dirty and dangerous as it wriggled through his gut, but it always left him with a feeling of euphoria, encouraged by the pumping of endorphins and adrenaline through his veins. 

“Nice shot.”

Xiumin’s voice was mirthful. 

“Of course. I’m a professional after all.” 

“Hmm. Don’t think I didn’t notice you checking him out.”

“Yeah no, I was merely sizing up my target. But I will admit that he isn't too hard on the eyes.”

“Really? Present tense? I think he’s a little past that, don’t you?”

“Now, now, Xiu, let’s have a little respect for the dead.”

Jongdae stepped towards the recently deceased man, taking a second to lift the lolling head and gently close the eyelids in a parting gesture of remorse.

“Good work Chen. Now take the same route out. The exit is clear; all the other men in the building have been taken care of. I will tell the others to reassemble and start up the truck.”

“Thank you Minnie.”

“Chen, you need to use codenames when on the job - it’s important to protect our identities.” 

“Yeah, yeah.”

 

*

 

Early the next morning, the living quarters were refreshingly lively; Suho was stationed by the stove, Kyungsoo and Jongin were watching the morning news on the couch, Chanyeol was sat at the island nursing a cup of coffee with his headphones in, Baekhyun was getting ready in their room, Sehun was showering in his ensuite and Jongdae and Minseok were catching up on some much-needed sleep.

Chanyeol, barely awake himself, began humming under his breath to the music in his ears and Suho, recognising the song, began to hum along too, their voices harmonizing beautifully.

“Good vocals, hyung.” Baekhyun greeted the leader with a smile, bypassing the elder to plant a kiss on his boyfriend’s bed-head. 

“Thank you Baek. Did you sleep well? You should know that we managed the situation successfully last night.” The grey-haired male reciprocated the slender boy’s smile, flipping the pancake with practiced ease.

“Ah, that’s a relief. And as well as one could with this big oaf compressing your lungs all night long I suppose.” He teased, tweaking Chanyeol’s nose playfully as the younger glared weakly, having heard snippets of the conversation through his music. 

Suho chuckled, plating a crispy pancake upon the large stack of existing ones and pouring more batter into the pan to make yet another. Feeding seven adults and one still growing teen took no small effort. 

“Ahh… the struggles of young love.” He joked, laughing at the forceful smack he received to his butt.

“You are only older by eleven months hyung.” Baek reprimanded haughtily. 

“One day, eleven months; what’s the difference? I’m your hyung either way and I think I deserve a little more respect around here.” Suho’s eyes twinkled.

“Well it’s hard to respect the man who wears that.” Baekhyun gestured to the other’s outfit, which was a ghastly combination of colours and garments; he was wearing a crude, pastel yellow pyjama top littered with fluffy sheep with torn, grey skinny jeans that complimented his hair. His torso was covered by a white, frilly apron with little bits of batter stuck to it. 

Suho looked down at his clothes, raising a quizzical eyebrow at the dark haired boy. Baekhyun's attractive, dolled up face was scrunched up in an expression of disgust and he visibly blanched as he ran a judging eye over the leader’s body. Meanwhile, Suho continued to be at a loss as to what was wrong with his choice of clothes. Sure, they were a little unorthodox and he would rather die a brutal death at Jongin’s hand than face the outside world and his subordinates in this getup, but he’d been distracted whilst getting changed by Jongin and Sehun bickering loudly over the important topic of who stole the maknae’s eyeliner. Needless to say it took a lot of effort to subdue the situation, and in his haste to diffuse yet another brawl involving the grumpy teenager, he’d forgotten that he had been in the process of clothing himself. He would change once he’d finished breakfast. 

“Leave him alone Baek, I think he looks cuddly and approachable. Like a mother.” Chanyeol pulled the fashionista close by his waist, nuzzling his face into his warm torso.

Jongdae chose that moment to stumble into the warm kitchen, followed by a far more put-together Minseok.

“Need…coffee…” The younger mumbled, tripping over his feet whilst making his way towards the coffee machine in the corner. Minseok caught the boy just in time, his head nearly cracking on the counter as everyone stared at the zombie-fied assassin in awe. 

It was a common occurrence to encounter a less-than-lively Jongdae before noon, but it didn’t make the spectacle any less intriguing. Minseok hauled the boy into his arms, carrying him around the island towards the set of stools. Jongdae practically purred and wrapped his arms around the blonde’s neck, curling up in the strong arms.

Suho laughed at the same time Chanyeol snorted, the latter having become more coherent as the minutes passed and the coffee worked its magic in his system. Minseok tried to place the boy on the stool next to Chanyeol, but the younger boy shook his head lethargically, a string of whimpers leaving his lips as he clutched the hairs at the back of Minseok’s neck tighter.

“Don’t…wanna…’t’s warm…” 

Minseok tutted, using his free hand to push the curled, fluffy strands of his lover’s hair away from his eyes, studying the feline features that were still puffy from sleep. “Dae-ah I swear you were a cat in your past life. Now sit here, I can’t get your coffee if you insist on clinging on to me.”

But the sleepy man was resolute in feeding off of his hyung’s warmth, so Chanyeol and Baek had to step to the eldest’s aid, peeling the boneless man's body away from the other with relative ease.

Leaving Jongdae to slump against the giant’s side, Minseok made a beeline to the bean grinder, relieved to find enough left over from the red-head’s cup earlier.

Suho prepared the last pancake and left it to cook as he bustled around the cupboards, pulling out an assortment of spreads for the boys to choose from. 

“Chanyeol wasn’t wrong- you do look particularly motherly this morning Junmyeon.” Minseok commented, bracing himself on the counter as he left the two cups to brew behind him. Suho grinned at the hacker. 

“I swear I will change soon. Just call the others in, would you?” 

As they all assembled at the dining table, a calm chatter fell upon the group. Chanyeol and Jongin bounded up to the freshly-set table, intent on getting first pick of the pancakes (“They’re all the same, I made sure of it.” “Hyung, this one has crispier edges, therefore it is better.” “For fucks sake Jongin stop nicking all the crispy ones, I like them too!”).

Baek dropped a still comatose Jongdae into his seat by the small window with the help of Kyungsoo as Minseok helped Suho carry the last of the toppings over. Sehun joined them two minutes later, clad in his usual tight-fitting black jeans and a casual white t-shirt, his towel still draped over his shoulders to catch the stray droplets falling from his tousled hair.

He sat down next to Kyungsoo, a refrigerated chocolate bubble tea in hand. 

They all tucked in with vigour, piling their plates high with pancakes, fruits, cream and chocolate chips. There were a few petty rows between Kyungsoo and Sehun over who pinched all the chocolate chips and Baekhyun and Minseok when the former ate the strawberry on the side of the elder’s plate, but for the most part their first meal of the day was blissfully uneventful.

“Okay, so who is where today?” Suho, who sat at the end of the table opposite Baekhyun, asked his friends jovially, shovelling another forkful of raspberry-topped pancake into his mouth. He already knew the answers, having been the one to allocate members to tasks the night before, but it didn’t hurt to try and prompt polite conversation.

“The usual.” Kyungsoo was the first to reply, sighing. Jongin gave the shorter male’s hand a reassuring squeeze under the table.

“I’m accompanying Baek-hyung to the salon today.” Jongin shot a wink at the older member, who reciprocated the gesture. 

“You’ll be on sweeping duty, so don’t get too excited young man.” Baekhyun said, chortling at the indignant expression on the blonde’s face at the prospect of such a menial task. “Although you might get a new dye-job and trim out of it if you’re lucky.” 

Kyungsoo could barely contain the grateful glance he shot Baekhyun’s way. 

Jongin contemplated the spy’s words for a few seconds before agreeing to his conditions. It wasn’t like he had much of a choice anyway. 

Suho directed his gaze towards to the left side of the table where Chanyeol, Jongdae and Minseok were muttering amongst themselves, oblivious to their surroundings.

The leader cleared his throat and the three men looked at him expectantly, with the exception of Jongdae, who only had the energy to blink blearily into his emptying mug.

“Schedules?”

Minseok was the first to catch on. “Ah, well I need to oversee Taeil’s operation today. He’s trying to counterfeit some new protection software that was recently introduced in Taiwan. It’s been getting good revenues despite the fact it was new to the market not six weeks ago.” 

Suho nodded, remembering their conversation the evening before whilst the two were setting up for Jongdae’s excursion.

“I’m going to check in on SHINee this afternoon in Gadeokdo, but until then I’m free. I might as well try to negotiate another arms trade.” Chanyeol piped up. SHINee were a small but incredibly successful group of drug manufacturers located in Busan. They were the most influential producers in South Korea - mostly due to the fact that they eliminated any potential competition - and relied on EXO to increase profit and trade. It was fair to say that the two organisations had a good relationship with one another, and in some respects it even bordered on ‘friendly’. 

“Yes, I think that would be a good idea - see how the next batch is coming along. Our customers are expecting it within the next three days.”

“Say hi to Taemin for me!” Jongin piped up. Kyungsoo scowled, prompting the younger to smother his face with kisses in order to diffuse the jealously that arose in his lover every time the man’s name was bought up. The older boy fought his way out of the other’s clutches, but he struggled to suppress the contented smile pulling at his lips.

“Dae?”

Said man huffed sleepily as he looked up to meet his leader’s gaze.

“I’ve got to deal with the arsehole who won’t pay up… right?” 

Suho offered him a consoling pat on top of his fluffy head as he got up to clear the table.

“Yes please. He’s been given enough chances. Make an example out of him, okay?”

At this, Jongdae became more alert, squinting at his hyung in confusion.

“Like…torture? Isn’t that more Jongin’s style? I mean I could, but I don’t think I would be as effective…” he trailed off as chuckles fell from the shorter man’s lips.

“No, just make sure that people hear of this. We don’t want them getting too comfortable with us.” Jongdae hummed in agreement, turning back to his half-eaten food.

“Good, now, Sehun, what are your plans again? If you're free, you could always accompany Chanyeol.”

Sehun finished his mouthful before speaking. “As utterly enticing as that sounds, I am going to decline. Besides, Johnny approached me with a new influx of cash his team hustled at the Casino on Tuesday. I thought I would shift it into Kyungsoo’s bakery for safety, so I will go to Winner to discuss the details of the transaction.” 

Kyungsoo beamed at the younger, their earlier dispute forgotten. 

“Yah! Why not my salon? We could do with the cash.” Baekhyun complained, pouting as the teen rolled his eyes.

“You got the funds last time Baek. Not to mention you make a fuck-tonne more than Soo.” Minseok muttered, meeting the aforementioned man’s heavy glare with one of his own.

EXO was a crime syndicate with a lot of feet in a lot of doors, which was necessary in order to continue to make the money they did without garnering the attention of the authorities. They operated a series of small, local businesses across the city in order to protect them from prying eyes. These businesses also helped to increase their control and status; in each location, the organisation was able to keep watch over the criminal activities occurring there, and was able to respond as they saw fit. Of course, not everyone in the city was aware of the power this syndicate held, nor did they even know of its existence, but for those who operated in the underground, these businesses were a prominent reminder of the sheer size and strength of the mafia group. They were also the ideal locales for the exchange of information. 

Baekhyun’s salon was the most successful scheme they ran; it attracted hundreds of visitors a week yet it still maintained a laidback, communal vibe, which was probably thanks to Baekhyun’s relaxed demeanour. The unisex salon was called ‘Let Out the Beast’ upon his request, much to the amusement of the rest of the members (“What the fuck, hyung, it sounds like a sex shop.” “Like you even know what sex is, Sehun.”). It was on a high street in Geumjeong-Gu, and it was widely known across the back streets of Busan as the place to go if you wanted to communicate with EXO. 

Kyungsoo’s café was a smaller business, but it was the hotspot for younger criminals and students who were transitioning into the less-than-legal sector. Even Minseok ran a quaint establishment; an internet café in Nam-Gu, which was popular amongst working-class, middle-age businessmen desperate to inflict an ‘accident’ upon a rival colleague in order to secure the top position at work or make deals. Jongin was the CEO of a large chain of comic book stores which they bought two years ago, with footholds in Jeonggwan-Myeon and Sasang-Gu. Between them all, they'd developed connections with many people of different ages, professions and backgrounds. This gave them the vital links to the life-force behind the whole operation; people.

“Okay, fine, but I call dibs on your next pay-check, Hunnie.”

“Not a chance. If you want money so bad, make it yourself, bitch.” 

“Aish, such a dirty mouth.”

 

*

 

“So basically, in the end I just had to let him go, ya know? The man was scum, always telling me he had seminars in Gimhae when in fact he was just a few streets away hooking up with some barmaid, and it wasn’t even the first time! Once-“

As much as Baekhyun enjoyed gossiping, this particular customer was doing his head in. Ever since she’d step foot into the salon twenty minutes ago she had non-stop bitched about her cheating husband, and quite frankly, the stylist couldn’t care less. Nonetheless, he pretended to listen, nodding along and offering words of comfort at regular intervals when the stupid woman actually stopped long enough to draw breath. 

Baekhyun worked quickly but accurately with her hair, cutting and styling it as she’d requested, in attempt to get her out of his building. The other customers weren’t making such a fuss; Baekhyun noted with annoyance the ease at which his employees doted on their patrons. 

Ten minutes later, she paid and left, and the dark-haired man finally let himself sigh in relief. He signalled for Jongin - who was perched behind the counter reading a trashy magazine - to come over and clean up the floor, and the younger obeyed.

He approached the older man with a broom in his hand, his lips tilted into a smirk at the worn-out expression pasted on his hyung’s face. “That bad, huh?”

Baekhyun groaned quietly, aware of the other customers’ remaining. “Fucking nightmare. Like if she hates the man that much, why doesn’t she just hire someone to kill him? Better still, do it herself; watch him suffer by her own hands.” 

Jongin’s smirk grew as he dutifully swept the dark strands into a pile on the glossy wooden floor. “Not everyone’s cup of tea, Baek. That’s why there are people like you and me in the world.” 

Baekhyun laughed softly; a sweet, tinkling sound erupting from his pink-tinted lips. He strutted over to the counter at the front of the store, ready to take a break as nobody was currently waiting in line. “That’s true~.” He called over his shoulder.

He settled down on the stool Jongin previously sat upon, sighing contentedly at the left-over warmth on the seat as he got comfortable. He subtly opened a compact mirror to check that his eyeliner and BB cream were still perfect, which they were.

The tinkling of the bell over the door signalled the arrival of a new customer. Baekhyun perked up, but quickly deflated upon seeing the man stood in the doorway. 

Schooling his face into a neutral expression, he moved around the counter to greet the tall male with sculpted cheekbones and sharp eyes, as was customary in the salon. 

“Good day sir, welcome to ‘Let Out the Beast’. How can we help you today?” 

The man removed his designer sunglasses smoothly, fixing the younger with a steady gaze. 

“Just a trim, thanks.” He swept his messy, icy-white locks out of his eyes in a show of confidence. Baekhyun offered him a tight-lipped smile, waving the man over to the available seat at the far end of the line. Casual chatter surrounded the two criminals, helping to erode the uneasy atmosphere that surrounded them.

Baekhyun attempted to start a conversation because nothing looked more suspicious at a salon than a silent employee. The two talked quietly for a few minutes as the spy cut away at the damaged strands, until he reached the area above a heavily pierced ear. He leant down, pretending to focus on his ministrations as he whispered harshly.

“What are you really doing here, T.O.P?”

Baekhyun could feel the rising of the other’s cheeks as the hooligan smirked against his hands.

“Good to see you too, Baek.” 

“Why are you here.” He spat between gritted teeth.

Technically speaking, the gang T.O.P belonged to – Big Bang - were close associates with EXO, and they’d worked together on many occasions, yet Baekhyun felt his hostility towards the older criminal was justified. This group rarely ever visited the salon, and when they did, it was with news that more often than not was unpleasant. Moreover, GD always sent the member he knew Baek found the most intolerable to exchange information, which only served to fuel his distaste towards the five men. T.O.P’s ego was no joke, and he took great pleasure in belittling the smaller male - both for his tiny frame and feminine appearance. And whilst Baekhyun wasn’t insecure about either of these attributes, he didn’t appreciate the spiteful nature of the comments.

“Now, now, is that any way to speak to your elders?” The older taunted in a low voice.

Feeling the force of the stylist’s glare on the back of his head and the dangerous proximity of the scissors to his ear, T.O.P relented.

“We have information. GD wants a council, preferably within the next twenty four hours.” He muttered, dropping the smirk.

Baekhyun’s heart dropped. It wasn’t going to be good news, that much was certain.

“Care to elaborate on that delightfully vague statement?” 

T.O.P had the audacity to snigger, the sound enriched with disdain.

“Not to you, titch. Give me that even shorter leader of yours with the nice ass and we will see.” 

Baekhyun growled, harshly tugging on the clump of hair he was in the process of cutting in warning.

“Keep running your mouth like that, you won’t be making it out of here intact.” He snarled quietly, tracing the blades of his scissors against the edge of his ear in an unspoken threat.

They both knew they couldn’t really afford to make a scene in public, but they also knew that if the occasion arose, neither would shy away from physical confrontation. It would be a pain in the arse to dispose of the stray witnesses, but it was certainly do-able.

Fortunately for both of them, it seemed T.O.P wasn’t truly intent on leaving with a severed ear. He raised both hands in mock-surrender, but his eyes were burning when they met with Baekhyun’s own in the reflection in the mirror. 

“Just see to it that it’s arranged. The details will be discussed there, and there only. Word from the top.” The model-like male spoke softly, lips barely moving.

Baekhyun knew it would be fruitless to push the subject further. Suho wouldn’t thank him if he was met with a fuming G-Dragon on account of Baekhyun disembowelling the arrogant prick he called a boyfriend. So with a drawn-out exhale to calm his rising nerves, he grunted “I’ll see what I can do.”

Five minutes later, T.O.P left the establishment and Baekhyun’s stress levels heightened at the uncertainty of the issue at hand. He hated being in the dark.

“Hyung?”

Jongin came up behind the older, who realised he had been standing there staring blankly at the wall for a solid minute or so. Thankfully, the salon was emptying as the mid-afternoon rush dispersed, which gave him space to organise his thoughts.

Baekhyun spun around to face the young boy, taking note of the faint frown pulling at his striking features. 

“BigBang have intel of some sort and want an official meeting to discuss it.” He didn’t see any point in beating around the bush, not with a potential problem arising on their hands.

Jongin looked off to the side, all of his youthful humour evaporating in seconds at the news. When he turned back, Baekhyun noticed the slight crease in his defined jaw, his eyes fierce.

“Shall I inform Suho of our predicament?” 

Baekhyun considered the request for a moment, before shaking his head. 

“No, I better see to this one myself. You stay here just an hour longer and see if any of their stories are of significance to us. I’ll get Mark to give you a touch up whilst you’re keeping an ear out.” He signalled over to the teenage employee lounging on the settee, who immediately set his coffee down on the glass table and scuttled over, his eyes wide and nervous as he bowed.

Baekhyun chuckled at the startled look on his face. It was almost endearing.

“Well then, I’d better love you and leave you. Good afternoon, everyone!” He exited to a chorus of farewells, pulling up his face mask and tightening his black trench coat around his body to ward off the chills not entirely caused by the cool air of the city streets. 

 

*

 

Upon entering the compound of their base, Baekhyun jumped out of the sleek, black car and jammed the offered earpiece in. 

“Get me Suho.” He ordered upon activating the gadget.

“What’s the occasion?” Kyungsoo retorted, but he must’ve picked up on the older man’s harried tone, as not a second later, the leader’s voice filtered down the line.

“Baekhyun? What happened?”

Said man rushed down the winding maze of hallways, keen on finding Suho’s office in order to relay what little information he had in person. 

“T.O.P visited this afternoon. Are you in your office?” Baekhyun panted, taking the stairs three at a time; the elevator would’ve been too slow.

“Oh shit. I can’t imagine he had any good news to share, did he?” Suho cursed. 

“I don’t know exactly. Just-just let me get to your office then I’ll tell you what I know- I’m almost there.”

He burst through the doors forty seconds later, not bothering to knock.

Suho rose from his seat and moved around his large wooden desk to greet the spy, reaching out to steady him when he almost toppled them both over with the sheer speed he was travelling at.

“Deep breaths, Baek. It might not be as bad as we fear. Just tell me what he said.”

“He said that GD wants to schedule a meeting in the next twenty four hours. They have information, though with regards to what I don’t know - he refused to tell me, the arse.” Baekhyun spoke rapidly, but Suho had known the other long enough to be able to decipher his words.

Suho exhaled slowly, settling against the edge of his paper-ridden desk; illegal contracts, no doubt. He looked weary yet alert, his eyes focused on his shoes as he mulled over the situation. His trepidation was understandable. G-Dragon had never gone out of his way to organise gatherings in the past unless there was a prominent issue or threat to their livelihoods. These threats were then promptly removed from the face of the earth. Sure, there would be the occasional drop-in in which the two groups would amicably gather in their private quarters to discuss business and potential trading propositions, but those weren’t ever initiated by secretive messages sent down the grape-vine in broad daylight. This whole ordeal screamed trouble to Suho, and he was keen to be in the know as soon as possible. Baekhyun stood in front of him patiently, following every twitch and shift of the leader’s body. 

After three tense minutes, Suho inhaled sharply, his eyes boring into Baekhyun’s. “Right.” He tapped his earpiece. “Get me Minseok please, D.O, and tell him to contact G-Dragon to let him know we will be holding council at approximately 2200 hours. Tell him to ensure that all of their associates are left on the perimeters of the premises.” Whilst the two groups were familiar with each other, they were still understandable hesitant to trust one another. Theirs was a dog-eat-dog world, so neither organisation challenged the other for taking precautionary measures whilst on each other’s territory. 

Baekhyun allowed himself to relax a little now that a decision had been made, but his limbs still ached - his unease making his stomach churn unpleasantly. Suho, always receptive to his members’ distress, shot him a tentative smile. 

 

*

 

At 21:56 that night, the eight members of EXO found themselves gathered in the meeting room, a heavy silence surrounding their static forms as they sat around the large table. The energy-saving, neon night-lighting was in use, shrouding the large room in an ethereal glow of pinks and blues. At the head of the long, wooden table sat Suho, his graceful fingers clasped together under his chin, elbows resting on the polished surface. The remaining seven men sat on either side, leaving the bottom half of the table vacant for the other men due to arrive in the next few minutes. None of them made eye contact, too absorbed in their own thoughts.

They were all broken out of their individual reveries as the door opened, and five familiar men filtered quietly into the stuffy room, accompanied by a small group of EXO’s gunmen. As they settled into their respective seats, the tension skyrocketed. 

Suho, being the highest-ranking, was the first to permeate the uncomfortable atmosphere bearing down on the occupants. “Good evening.” G-Dragon, who was sat opposite the man smirked at the attempt to exchange pleasantries but replied in kind nonetheless. The rest of his gang bowed respectfully to their hosts.

“Now, am I correct in understanding that you have intel that may be of interest to us?” Suho’s voice was soft, but his tone was authoritative. G-Dragon nodded stiffly, his kohl-lined eyes solemn.

“We believe so. There were unfounded rumours spreading across the underworld that you may or may not have been aware of.” Suho tilted his head slightly, eyes clouded in confusion. “Evidently not. These rumours started off stating that BTS had intentions of revolting against your ring, but it seems the hype was untrue. Although I think it would be necessary to mention that they are aware of and don’t appreciate your watchful eye on their movements and activities.”

Chanyeol snorted. “Really? Is that it? BTS aren’t exactly the most influential group around, what were they gonna do, shoot us with those piddly water pistols they call firearms until we gave them control over the city’s underground? Not fucking likely.” 

A few chuckles erupted from both sides of the table, but Suho didn’t appear impressed with Chanyeol’s attitude. “Can it, Yeol.” He hissed under his breath. 

“BTS are hardly the most pressing issue right now, you’re right. We came here to discuss the invasion of our territory, and the increase of police observation, which I’m sure you’ve been noticing.” The lithe gang leader directed his gaze to Chanyeol, who nodded. He had indeed been subjected to a lot of irritating vehicle checks and frisking on his trafficking journeys.

“Wait- invasion of territory?” Jongdae was the one to pipe up next, ignoring the pointed look being shot his way by his leader.

T.O.P contributed to the conversation. “Yeah. We got news from Winner a few days ago that a large firm in Gijang-Gun has been leased to an external crime syndicate, with the intention of expanding their influence within Busan.”

“Gijang-Gun? Baek, that’s not far from where you’re set up. How come you haven’t heard of this development?” Kyungsoo turned to address the spy, whose brows were knitted together in a frown.

“I don’t know. This is all news to me…” He murmured.

“It’s hardly surprising that this didn’t reach your network Baekhyun, after all, this new contract was formed under legal conditions, so it has yet to spread throughout the underworld.” G-Dragon clarified, sending a consoling look the younger’s way. T.O.P merely sneered at Baekhyun to which both the spy and Chanyeol responded to with a glare. 

“As interesting as this all is, I fail to see how it justifies the need for this meeting? It’s hardly a matter we haven’t dealt with before.” Minseok said. Suho and Jongin murmured in agreement.

“Let’s just take them out and nullify the contract with the help of Winner. They will be able to sell it on legally to another interested party with ease, right?” The hitman continued, pushing his newly dyed fringe out of his face, the brunette locks framing his handsome features nicely.

“I’m afraid it won’t be all that easy this time, given the identity and the influence of the organisation.” Taeyang, who’d only been a silent witness to the discussion so far, spoke up in a gruff voice.

Dread filled Suho’s being at the older man’s words. He already had an idea of who this mystery gang could be, but he was praying to any and every deity that existed that he was wrong, please, please let his hunch be wrong, he wasn’t ready to give up this self-made empire they had worked so hard to create and live within. Suho wasn’t prepared to relocate and start again, besides, if they were forced out, their reputation would be so marred that they would never be respected in the underworld ever again. Oh god, what if they ended up on the streets again? Alone, defenceless and vulnerable to the unmerciful attitudes of Korean society-

“So…who are they?” Jongdae asked, his lilting voice slicing through Suho’s depressing thoughts.

Suho waited with bated breath.

G-Dragon breathed in shakily, a rare sight from the naturally confident gang leader.

“The Wu group.”

Fuck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay for crappy cliff-hangers!  
> Okay so I think I need to clarify what group does what, because a lot of band names are flying around rn:  
> WINNER- Criminal Bank.  
> SHINee- Drug manufacturers and dealers.  
> Got7- Crime syndicate (less influential than EXO).  
> BTS- Crime syndicate (Influence on the rise).  
> BIGBANG- Crime syndicate (focused on drug trafficking, based in Ulsan, successful).  
> NCT-U - Heads of faculties and divisions within EXO.
> 
> Okay so I hope that clears that up a little! There will be more in future chapters, but I will always specify their occupations in the notes.  
> As always, thank you all for reading and for leaving kudos'! I hope this chapter met your expectations and please feel free to leave constructive criticism~.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Smut at end of chapter  
> Yeah I had way too much fun writing that scene so sorry if it sucks.
> 
> Enjoy!~

“The Wu group.”

Fuck.

A disbelieving silence fell upon the men, the majority of whom stared at G-Dragon in shock. Suho was especially dumbfounded, if not downright distressed at this new turn of events. It was an unspoken agreement - no, law - between gangs that they did not infringe on others’ territory in any manner, unless invited to do so by the resident organization(s) already established there. The Wu Group had certainly not received the green light to set up shop right under their noses, not that they’d asked for permission to do so in the first place. The arrogance of the Chinese gang’s actions made the grey-haired leader’s blood boil; it was a blatant challenge to his authority over the economic sector of the city, and Suho wasn’t above rising to the bait. If that pig-headed fuck of a boss ‘Kris Wu’ - or whatever his name was - was going to try to undermine him on his doorstep, then Suho was determined to send the grandest of shit storms he could muster their way, their lesser strength be damned. Nobody who had the audacity to challenge them lived with their reputation intact; it was one of their customer guarantees.  
There was no way that this was a situation in which the rival Seoul-based gang simply didn’t register EXO’s presence and so thought the city was theirs for the taking, absolutely not, because even though they were a slightly smaller syndicate, they were still renowned throughout South Korea, in both the upper- and underworlds. Hell, they had enough power to be able to pull strings in various countries across the globe. It was just that the Wu Group had even more fingers in even more pies. One of the perks of entering the game first, Suho thought bitterly. 

“Oh fucking hell.” Chanyeol breathed. Beside him, Baekhyun remained frozen, his eyes vacant as he tried to compute the newfound threat to their livelihood. 

Suho was one of the first to snap out of it, clearing his throat noisily to garner the attention of his members and their guests.

“Before we get ahead of ourselves, was Winner certain that they pose a threat?”

G-Dragon’s perfectly-shaped brow lifted in disbelief.

“What do you think? Are you willing to risk it? Suho, when has a situation like this ever benefitted the more insignificant party? Even if it’s not Wu’s intention, they are a significant threat to your profits and your influence. The second other gangs, dealers and manufacturers hear that the biggest, richest criminal organization in South-East Asia wants to operate here, you’ll be kicked to the curb faster than you can blink. Their loyalty will go flying out of the nearest window the minute they smell the prospect of new wealth. They will cast you boys aside in a split second if it means getting the chance to do business with those men, so buck up. This isn’t a predicament to be taken lightly. We need to figure out a battle plan and fast if we intend to maintain our current statuses.”

Suho’s eye twitched in annoyance at being referred to as ‘the more insignificant party’, but he knew that the older boy had a point. If the Wu Group did invade and begin to do business on EXO’s territory, their glory days would be over. 

“Yah! You’re acting like the advice you’re giving us on this situation is for our benefit, but we all know you’re just as self-motivated as the rest of us. Stop pretending you aren’t covering your own arses by using us as your metaphorical ammo.” Minseok spat, glaring murderously at the five men. His temper dissipated a little when Jongdae squeezed his thigh in warning.

Taeyang and G-Dragon chuckled lowly, whilst T.O.P smirked.

“My dear Xiumin, we never stated otherwise. I thought it went without saying that we are all relying on you boys to sort out this mess. You are the only ones potentially capable of striking up a deal with that lot; if you don’t like the responsibilities of being at the top of the food chain, then maybe you should consider stepping down.” The short leader snapped viciously, his eyes fierce as he stared into Minseok’s own. 

In a desperate attempt to diffuse the strained relations building up between the two groups, Suho coughed quietly. 

“Either way, we will need to confront these men sooner rather than later if we are to resolve this… miscommunication over boundaries. I suggest we sleep on the matter for now whilst we mull it over and gather more information from reliable sources, and that we re-schedule this meeting for another day when we have more intel at hand.” The grey-haired male said softly, his eyes holding the gazes of all his members individually to convey the importance of his decision. 

“But we haven’t even begun to broach the topic regarding the increase of police patrols.” Seungri said, inspecting his nails nonchantly as all eyes fell upon his sturdy frame. Beside him, T.O.P nodded slowly. 

Suho merely waved his hands in a gesture for them to continue.

“Surveillance on recent police reports from this region and from departments in Incheon and Seoul are all declaring a crack-down on security on major travel routes and the streets. It’s believed to be due to a small gang in Incheon that became too reckless when in the open and began attracting police attention. They were arrested a few weeks ago, but now that they’ve alerted the authorities to the true extent of illegal happenings in the country, the government are attempting to dig us all out. We should be safe though. They don’t have many leads on the larger syndicates, if any, so just keep under the radar for several months and we should get the all-clear.”

Kyungsoo snorted and muttered a cynical “unlikely” under his breath. The police in Busan were constantly on the look out for EXO and any of their known associates since they’d gained enough rep to be talked about outside of the criminal network.

“Okay, thank you. We will bear this all in mind, but for now I think we have enough to work with, so I think it’s about time you excused yourselves. We will meet here again on Thursday at 1900 hours to discuss further details.” Suho stated, his tone leaving no room for argument.

BigBang exchanged bemused glances, but G-Dragon nodded in understanding. 

“Until then.” The five men bowed then filed out of the room, just as eerily composed as they had been when they had entered. 

Once left alone, the eight members of EXO took a few seconds to stretch out and mutter between themselves. The room filled with the buzz of background chatter as Suho massaged his temples in an attempt to relieve the throbbing headache beginning to set in.  
“Alright, alright, enough. We’ve heard what they had to say, now let’s all get some rest and we will talk this over tomorrow at breakfast. You are free to go.” He smiled wearily at them as they bowed and left the room, their nattering never ceasing. 

His headache only increased when thinking about the ordeals he would come face- to- face with the following day.

 

*

 

“Yeol.”

Chanyeol moaned and rolled over, pulling the duvet with him.

“Yeollie.” 

Cold hands patted gently at his cheeks, making him frown.

“Yeol, it’s time to get up. Rise and shine you lazy little shit.”

“Ugh, Baek, what time even is it?” The giant groaned, hissing at the natural light that abused his corneas when he cracked open his eyes.

“Six-thirty-seven on the dot. Now get up, we’ve got a lot of things to sort out, and Joonmyun-hyung wants to talk to us over breakfast, remember?”

Burrowing himself under the sheets in an attempt to escape the scrabbling hands, he kicked out, grinning tiredly when he heard his boyfriend mutter a profanity as his foot made brutal contact with the other’s thigh.

“Jesus fucking- you are such a child sometimes! Breakfast is already underway so get up already; otherwise I will leave you to the mercy of Soo and Minseok.” He threatened playfully. Those two were notoriously good at being human alarm clocks; persuading all the lazy members to get up using dirty - and often painful - tactics.

“Alright, fine! I’m getting up, see?” Chanyeol grouched, rolling over to the edge of the bed and sitting up to be met with the triumphant smirk of his boyfriend. More than a little ticked off at the other’s smug expression, he yanked the fully-dressed man down by his neck, placing a bruising kiss on his soft lips. A similar smirk adorned his own lips as he swallowed down the surprised moans.

He pulled away a second later, laughing at the expression on the raven-haired male’s face. “Great, now I have to reapply my lip balm.” The older boy huffed, striding over to their ensuite, no doubt to preen over his appearance for the next half hour.

“Don’t pretend you don’t love our morning make-outs.” Chanyeol called after him, delighting in the fond tsk he received in response. Shuffling over to his wardrobe, he pulled out a clean outfit for the day; black skinny jeans, a black button-up and his usual hoodie, adorned with various silver necklaces and rings. 

Baekhyun re-emerged from the bathroom just as Chanyeol was raking a comb through his tangled locks, running an appreciating eye down the taller’s body. 

“Let me.” He pulled Chanyeol over to sit on the edge of the messy bed before snatching the comb and pulling it through the fiery strands. Chanyeol hummed quietly, enjoying the soft ministrations of Baekhyun’s nimble fingers. 

“Your roots are beginning to show.” The shorter male noted as he parted his hair to the side, poking at the darker areas of hair with the comb. 

“Feel free to dye them if it bothers you that much.” Chanyeol murmured, eyes fluttering shut; having his hair brushed always made him sleepy for some reason.

“Hm, no. I quite like them; the contrast looks good. It makes you look fierce.” Chanyeol just snorted at his words. 

“Oh, well that’s a relief then; I was aiming for fierce.” He joked. 

“Yah, quit being a buffoon, I’m trying to compliment you here.” The older boy pouted, his angelic face too cute for the red-head to bear. Chanyeol pulled him close, nuzzling into the fabric of the white turtleneck that covered his toned stomach. Baekhyun discarded the comb to carry on stroking his head with thin fingers, enjoying the weight of the younger’s arms around his waist. They smiled at each other gently, but the intimate moment was disrupted far too soon by a knock on their door.

“Breakfast is ready. Suho wants you there in two, so you better wrap up whatever debauchery you’re committing in there ASAP.” Kyungsoo droned, his voice slightly muffled through the door.

The two sighed simultaneously but complied, joining hands as they made their way past a scowling Kyungsoo into the dining room. Chanyeol made sure to flick the short security guard on the forehead as he passed as compensation for the rude interruption. 

At the table, a spread of toast and cereals were laid out, and the couple took their respective seats, both exchanging ‘good morning’s’ with their surprisingly perky leader. Once Kyungsoo settled down, shooting a glare promising pain at Chanyeol, Suho began to talk through proceedings.

Jongin exchanged a high-five with a comatose Jongdae when they heard they would be accompanying Suho to meet with their informants within the police force at their second base. “Kyungsoo and Minseok, I need you two to breach their mainframe and access their emails and possibly security footage of any meetings they’ve held; we need to know how the government are planning to proceed with regards to the arrival of the Wu Group and their new strategies to dispose of crime syndicates.” The two men nodded between bites of food, Kyungsoo’s large eyes expressing his eagerness to do something other than watch his subordinates go about their daily tasks.

Baekhyun all but ignored the grey-haired man when he was told to gather as much information as he could off of the streets and the five males running Winner in favour of catching Jongdae’s mug of boiling coffee that slipped out of his feeble grip, biting back a screech when some of the scalding liquid splashed on his hand and the other’s lap. Amidst the cleaning up process – in which Baekhyun bitched at Jongdae for his carelessness and Jongin and Minseok patted the drowsy boy’s head in consolation as he mourned the loss of his energy source, having yet to notice the fact that his crotch was burning - Suho reminded Sehun and Chanyeol of their respective duties - to earn money at the casino and through yet another drugs trafficking operation. Soon after, the eight of them dispersed to finish getting ready before operations took off at 7 o’clock.

 

*

 

Two nights later, EXO found themselves sat once again in their official meeting room, the only two present members of BigBang facing them with their usual cool demeanours in place.

“Well I don’t know about you, but we’ve had a rewarding few days.” G-Dragon started, his handsome face contorting into a victorious smirk. Next to him, T.O.P almost grinned conceitedly, his lips only just managing to turn up at the corners - the after-effects of too much cosmetic surgery no doubt, Baekhyun thought snarkily. 

Suho remained stoic. “Likewise. However, our digging will only do so much to preserve our current status. It seems as if we will need to do some negotiating with Wu and his groupies after all.” He said, tone unwavering as he stared the older man in the eyes.

“All part of the game, I’m afraid. Although they’re hardly playing fair; they have a lot of nerve to stake a claim on Busan after all these years. Tell me, Suho, how do you intend to negotiate with them?”

Suho nodded over to Baekhyun, motioning for him to continue. 

“Having talked to Seunghoon yesterday, we figured the best way to proceed would be to give them an ultimatum; either we offer them a hefty compensation fee in return for the nullification of the contract and they agree to stay in Seoul, or we could stretch to buying it straight off of them at a decent price.”

“That’s awfully brave. But what’s the ultimatum? What happens if they refuse your terms?”

Jongin smirked evilly, his dark eyes glistening in the luminescent lighting. “Then it’s war.” 

T.O.P scowled.

“And I presume we will all be dragged into it.”

“If you want to save your sorry arses you will, yes; we aren’t going to fight all your battles for you.” Jongdae spat, his lips curling into a snarl. Minseok and Baekhyun shot him warning glances to cool off. This wasn’t the time to be marring their alliances with their neighbouring syndicates.  
“Look, what other choice do we have? Either they realise they overstepped a boundary and we continue forwards as usual, or we risk losing our investments. Or, we fight them. Our only real chance is to pray that they see reason and leave, otherwise things are going to get real nasty, real quick.” Chanyeol uttered, the deep timbre of his voice resonating off of the stone pillars and walls of the room.

Kyungsoo nodded. “We’ve already spread the word to the significant gangs in the area that we’ll require assistance from if shit hits the fan. For once, we all agree that it’s in all our best interests to work together and chuck them out.” 

“Yes, Rap Monster seemed dubious and contacted me last night to see where I stood on that particular proposal. Don’t worry, I pledged allegiance to you, of course. And with BTS in the bag, GOT7 will soon follow through, as will Day6. Winner of course, is remaining a neutral party, given that they are also Wu’s bank.” G-Dragon said, ignoring the pointed look his boyfriend gave him at the information that had clearly been beyond his knowledge until just now.

Suho suppressed a relieved smile but was pleased to see that his members were also beginning to lose the tension they’d carried in their shoulders for the past forty-eight hours.

“What’s happening on the police front?” T.O.P asked, crossing his arms over his fur coat.

“Just as we suspected really; they are definitely trying to smoke the underworld out – our group especially - but they aren’t having much success given the limited number of leads and witnesses. I can’t see how they pose much of a threat at this point in time, even with their interest in the Wu Group’s acquisition. Frankly, they don’t have the power or enough hard evidence to take any of us down.” Minseok recited, scanning through the folder full of transcripts of telephone conversations and meetings that he’d acquired the day before. It had to be said; the government had piss-poor security which would worry him if he were a law-abiding citizen, but as it was, their incompetence made his job ten times faster which was always appreciated, especially in an emergency. 

“Yes, in this transcript of a phone call taken precisely two months, four days, 14 hours, 54 minutes and 22 seconds ago, Officer Lee was talking to Commissioner General Kim from Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. Within the seven minutes and three seconds of the call’s duration, they made decisions to put gang activity on high alert in Busan, Daegu and Seoul, but they didn’t intend to actively spend their hours gathering a case against us because they had more ‘pressing’ matters to deal with. There haven’t been changes to this order since.” The blonde added, his eyes on Suho as he presented this information for the first time. 

Suho nodded solemnly, grateful for his hyung’s knack for thorough research.

G-Dragon pushed his auburn fringe out of his eyes with a flourish. “That is good news. So, how do you wish to proceed from here on out?” Whilst the question was directed at the fellow mob’s leader, it was Sehun who responded.

“Obviously, the police can go fuck themselves, as can the oh-so-superior Wu group, and we will continue to do business as usual. Like Baekhyun said earlier, we will give them a choice and if they decide to ignore us, then we will simply use brute force.” The youngest member stared defiantly into G-Dragon’s eyes, his expression sullen as he knowingly disrespected the other.

“Sehun, language.” Suho hissed under his breath, his maternal side appearing momentarily. “What I think my associate is trying to say,”- he shot a glare at the teenager, who promptly dismissed his warning glance and crossed his arms with a dramatic huff - “is that we will organise a council with this group - either face to face or over the internet - in order to lay out their options. Then we will see where it leaves us. If negotiations do break down, we will all do our part to ensure that they stay off our ground, yes?” His piercing gaze was directed at the two guests.

“Of course.”

“What choice do we have?”

Suho bowed shallowly to them in gratitude.

“Glad to hear it. Well, I believe that is all, so if you’d like to see yourselves out.” He motioned for the guards by the door to lead the two out.

“Hold on a second.” 

Jongin’s voice was both deadpan and sinisterly soft. 

The two lavishly-dressed men stopped in their tracks, but G-Dragon was the only one to turn around to address the handsome assassin, a brow arched in question.

“Yes?”

“It may have escaped my colleagues’ observations, but I couldn’t help but notice that you are three members short for today’s meeting. Why is that exactly?” 

The brunette didn’t miss how the standing men exchanged swift glances before G-Dragon answered him, his voice dangerously clipped.

“They are all busy on operations right now. Why, are you accusing us of something? Is there something you'd like to get off your chest?” 

“Of course there isn't. Ignore him, I apologise on his behalf. We will meet again soon, Jiyong.” Suho uttered sternly, yet again pulling another one of his younger members out of the precarious pit they always seemed to dig themselves into. 

With a cautionary glare to the two unapologetic boys, Suho excused himself to his office once their guests were escorted off the premises. 

“Clearly we all very tired, which has led to some rather unsavoury comments this evening.” The grey-haired male growled as he strode over to the doorway. “Jongin, please come see me in ten. Sehun, you follow five minutes after him please.” 

The remaining men exchanged grimaces and patted the two youngest members on the back in a pathetic attempt of consolation for the shit-storm that was undoubtedly coming their way. Kyungsoo stayed back as the others left to turn in for the night, pressing a soft kiss to his stubborn boyfriend’s tanned forehead.

“Try not wind him up too much Nini, he's had an exhausting few days.”

“Who hasn’t?” The younger countered, but relented once he saw the beseeching look the shorter wore.

“Okay, okay, but I can’t promise I’ll be civil; it’s not a crime to be cautious is it?”

Kyungsoo smiled - a rare sight on his attractive features - which made Sehun startle a little. “No, but you weren’t exactly tactful in your manner of asking. Just… behave yourself.” He muttered, letting the younger play idly with one of his hands as he shyly avoided Jongin’s gaze with an expression neither of them could work out.

Jongin’s face split into a grin at the older boy's unreserved cuteness, despite the tough image the short boy tried to maintain. To give him credit, he was strong, and bitchy, and wouldn’t hesitate to fight anyone who undermined him, but at the same time there was a gentle side to him that Jongin took great pleasure in unlocking. 

“I will.” He promised, squeezing the other’s tiny hands with his long digits.

“Ew, gross. Stop eye-fucking and get out of here so we can wallow over our untimely deaths in peace.” Sehun mumbled, glaring at the scene that was frankly too sickening to bear.

“Shut your mouth before I do it for you, Oh.” Kyungsoo warned in a low voice. Yup, there was the original Kyungsoo, mint in package with a dirty mouth and a formidable glare that resulted in him being dubbed ‘SatanSoo’ by the lackeys. Not that Jongin or anyone else for that matter were going to let him in on that little factoid.

Sehun sneered at him, used to the other’s threats. Sometimes their resident lookout followed through, but Sehun was relying on Jongin to hold the man back should he feel tempted to commit homicide today. 

“See you later, hyung.” Jongin forcefully pushed him over to the door, locking it behind him.

“Stop riling him up, arsehole.” Jongin frowned at his friend who was now reclining on his chair at a precarious angle, his mud-caked boots resting on the table. Sehun simply shot him a mirthful grin upside down.

“Like you’re one to talk.” He retorted drily. 

Jongin shrugged as he slumped back into his seat, his eyes tracing the lean figure of the teen.

“Just because your love life is non-existent doesn’t mean everyone else’s has to be.” 

“Wow, thanks for reminding me. You know I don’t give a shit for this whole ‘love’ malarkey. It’s a myth.” Jongin watched as his Adam’s apple bobbed as he talked, his tone cold.

Jongin snorted. “Sure, you’re an impenetrable fortress of solitude, I get it. Have fun with that. But what about the physical aspect of ‘love’?” He inquired, sniggering softly at the blush suffusing the younger’s usually pale cheeks as his head shot upright to stare at the brunette.

“You know full well how I do on that front. I’m hardly bereft of company at the casinos. You remember the two girls I picked up after our last win, right? The hot ones from Hong Kong?” He mumbled defensively. 

Jongin shook his head fondly. “Of course, of course.” He shot Sehun a knowing glance. “But if you are ever looking for pointers or advice, Soo and I would be happy to lend you a hand or two.”

Sehun choked on his spit, his face, ears and neck now ablaze with a red hue. 

“E-excuse me? Jongin, what are you saying?” He stuttered, his dark eyes wide and his imagination running wild at the assassin’s words.

“Just that we would be happy to give you the ‘talk’ when you feel you are ready to enter into that stage of your adult life. Why, what dirty scenarios is your pubescent mind cooking up?” Jongin teased.

Sehun glared, but his cheeks remained aflame. “Fuck off Jongin, I’m not a child. I know how to have sex, thank you very much, and even if I did need answers - which I don’t - I wouldn’t come to you.”

Jongin pretended to think. “Ah that’s right, I suppose if you were to confide in anyone about your sex-less lifestyle, it would be Eomma Junmyeon.”

“I’m not a virgin for fuck’s sake!” Sehun hissed, blanching at the use of his favoured hyung’s name in such a crude conversation.

“Hey! It’s a judgement-free zone over here. You can be honest with me Sehunnie-ah, we are all friends here. But the offer still stands, just so you know.” He smirked, dodging the glass of water that was lobbed his way by the flustered eighteen-year-old.

“Fuck off!”

 

*

 

He awoke with a start when he felt himself become weightless.

“Jongin!” Kyungsoo gasped, his arms shooting up to wrap themselves in a death grip around the brunette’s neck.

“Good evening, sleepy head.” He felt the vibrations of Jongin’s voice against his cheek as he let himself be carried away from the sofa he had fallen asleep on not thirty minutes ago.

“I thought I told you not to startle me like that anymore.” He didn’t mean for it to come out as a whine, but it seemed his vocal cords hadn’t woken up enough to muster up his usual menacing growl.

“My apologies. But as I also mentioned before, you make it too easy.” Jongin joked, hefting the smaller man up to get a better grip as he punched in their passcode.

Entering their shared bedroom, he placed the other down on his feet, giggling at the smack he received to his arm for his efforts. 

“Shut up. So did Suho tear you a new one or what?” Kyungsoo murmured as he moved over to the closet, pulling out new boxers and one of Jongin’s old shirts before shuffling over to their bathroom.

Jongin followed him, leaving his clothes in a pile on the tiles as he stripped unabashedly. 

“Yeah, not really. I was expecting him to go ape-shit on my arse to be honest, but after a five minute lecture on the importance of ‘playing nice’ with other gangs, he told me that he too had been curious over Taeyang, Daesung and Seungri’s absences. But apparently we aren’t going to ‘pry’ because we need them on our side right now.” Jongin finished with a huff, walking over to the shower and turning it on as Kyungsoo began to remove his own garments.

“Seems reasonable. A face-off with Wu’s lot isn’t going to go well if we don’t have everyone else’s support. We are big, but not big enough to do it alone, at least not just yet.” Jongin leant against the glass, running an appraising eye over Kyungsoo’s naked form as steam began to fill the room.

Kyungsoo, feeling the other’s gaze on his body, looked up. The tanned figure of his boyfriend looked beyond appealing, but he had absolutely no energy to do anything about it.

He simply grabbed the taller by the hand and pulled him under the hot spray, letting soft grunts of relief leave his lips as the droplets soothed the knotted muscles of his back. Sitting in front of screens for nigh on fourteen hours a day did nothing for his posture. Jongin smiled adoringly at the sight, letting his hands roam over his lover’s toned torso. When his hand began to skim lower, it was halted by a firm grip.

He looked down to meet Kyungsoo’s eyes, dark and hazy through the spray.

“Not tonight. I’m too tired.” The older said, his eyelids drooping as he spoke.

Jongin pouted, but obeyed, letting his hands move their way into safer territory - Kyungsoo’s neatly cropped hair. He allowed one hand to knead at his boyfriend’s tense shoulders as he squirted vanilla-scented shampoo over the black strands - Kyungsoo’s favourite scent, apparently. 

Kyungsoo didn’t bother to restrain his contented hums as long fingers massaged the sweet-smelling goo into his hair, doing wonders in relieving the slight headache that had arisen.

Once Jongin washed the soap off, being careful to not let any drip into the older man’s sensitive eyes, he allowed Kyungsoo to reciprocate the gesture.

Kyungsoo frowned when Jongin simply stood there, grinning like an idiot, water droplets dripping off his long eyelashes and strong nose. “Bend down a little then. I can’t reach from here.” He sulked, mustering up his most threatening glower possible when the other shook his head, resembling an excitable, wet puppy.

“Nope. You gotta reach up this time - stretch those poor muscles of yours.”

Normally, Kyungsoo would have walked away, leaving the other to wash his hair himself, but this evening he felt more tolerant to Jongin’s playful whims.

“Fine.” 

As he stood on tiptoes, Jongin grabbed onto his waist to stabilise him. Kyungsoo simply scowled at him as he began to rub the shampoo into the other’s longer locks, carding through the soft strands with care. Working it into a pile of foam upon the other’s head, Kyungsoo couldn’t help the tiny chuckle that escaped his lips at the comedic sight. Jongin shook his head softly, a loving smile gracing his features. He leant forwards to press a gentle kiss on the older man’s plump lips, his thumbs massaging the soft skin of Kyungsoo’s hips as he began to push back, albeit drowsily.

The taller man pulled away first. “Come on, let’s go to bed.” He whispered, their close proximity allowing Kyungsoo to feel his breath on his lips. He nodded, allowing his lover to carry him out of the shower and wrap him up in a towel before placing him on the toilet seat.

The two dried themselves off and got dressed in a comfortable silence, proceeding into their bedroom minutes later.

Scrambling under the covers, the same miniature war they had every night over occupation of the duvet occurred, and this time, Kyungsoo let the younger win, too tired to put up a good fight. Seconds later, Jongin immediately draped himself over the smaller male, allowing his body heat to engulf him as they exchanged small pecks and drifted off into a light sleep.

 

*

 

Two rooms down, it was a very different story.

Nobody knew it, but there was a reason for the assassin’s perpetual sleepiness every single morning. Okay, so Minseok knew, but the other members were oblivious to the fact that Jongdae frequently suffered from nightmares of his past. They would keep him up late into the night, whimpering and shaking in his boyfriend’s arms as said man tried to placate the younger long enough for him to drop back off. More often than not, the two would stay awake together after an episode, silently reading or cuddling as moonlight filtered through the cracks in their curtains.  
From the start it was rare for the couple to get more than four hours of sleep every night, so the two quickly adapted to their restless lifestyle and made use of their free time as much as possible. Sometimes, if the previous day’s schedule had been kind on them, their early morning hours were used for rigorous activity.

It seemed that tonight was going to be one of those occasions.

Minseok held the younger man close within the sheets as he slowly came back to reality, whispering soft nothings into his ear and pressing kisses into his sleep-ruffled hair after only an hour of sleep. It seemed that today’s nightmare had been particularly vivid, probably due to all the stress that had been accumulating over the last few days. Jongdae began to gather his bearings, pushing weakly at the older man’s chest in a silent request for air. 

The blonde pulled back, cupping his lover’s face with both hands, stroking over the startlingly prominent cheekbones as he forced eye contact. “Daedae? Are you with me?” He whispered, releasing a sigh of relief when the other nodded shakily, his breathing laboured.

“It’s okay now, you’re not there anymore. You can relax here; I will keep you safe, I promise.” Jongdae remained silent, nodding dumbly. The wet tracks of his tears glistened in the low light of the bedside lamp, and Minseok wiped them away carefully, all too aware that any sudden movements could trigger another one of his emotional episodes.

The older man sat up and opted for cradling Jongdae on his lap as he fully came out of his trance. He didn’t have to wait long before the younger croaked out a weak “I’m fine” and began pulling back to face the other.

“Thank you.” He murmured, his eyes cast low. These nightmares were embarrassing for Jongdae, and Minseok knew of his inner turmoil as he tried to put on a brave front every day. But no matter how many times the older man assured him it was normal to experience such things, especially after the events of Jongdae’s past, the younger never forgave himself for being so ‘pathetic’ and ‘weak’. 

In Minseok’s eyes, his boyfriend was far from weak. He was a sturdy little thing, who was able to maintain his delectable smile and cheer everyone up even when times got tough. He was their group’s little ball of sunshine who liked to bounce around and pester the others for affection and food in their downtime which often pulled smiles from their friends- even Kyungsoo wasn't immune to Jongdae's infectious laughter. And his affinity for roaring when he got too excited was the most adorable habit Minseok had ever seen, even if it did terrify him as a child. It also sparked a new nickname for him amongst their group - the Jongdaeasaurus Rex. Not to mention his singing was like nothing else on this world, in Minseok’s humble opinion. Baekhyun, Kyungsoo and Suho were blessed with good vocal ability too, but none of them could even begin to compare with Jongdae’s range and stability. Minseok was certain that if Jongdae hadn’t turned to a life of crime, he would’ve been snatched up by a talent agency and become an idol. When he’d first heard the younger sing, Minseok had been reduced to tears. He can still fondly recall the way Jongdae had immediately stopped to comfort him, his little voice high with worry that he’d hurt his only friend.

Yup, as far as Minseok was concerned, there wasn't a human alive more precious than Jongdae.

“Anytime.” Minseok whispered.

He watched silently as Jongdae pushed his hair out of his eyes and got off Minseok’s lap, his demeanour still withdrawn. The older boy couldn’t help but sigh softly.

“The same one again?”

Jongdae curled up into a ball on top of the covers with his face pressed into the crook of his elbow, but Minseok could still make out a muffled hum in confirmation.

Minseok gently traced a finger up the other’s bare leg, delighting in the goosebumps that arose along the pale flesh.

“I’m sorry.” Minseok whispered, resting his hand upon a bony knee. Jongdae snorted weakly at that, lifting his head to frown at his hyung.

“Stop apologising, you didn’t do anything wrong. If anything, you were the only reason I kept on going; the only reason I’m alive now.” He murmured, his eyes soulful and gazing earnestly at the blonde in a way that made Minseok’s heart constrict.

“I know, but I wish I could make all the memories go away. It kills me to see you suffering.” He confessed, not for the first time. 

Jongdae gave him a watery smile. “I’ll be okay, Minnie. Just promise me you will always be here when I wake up?” His voice was small, doubt colouring his words.

Minseok nodded, his blonde strands flying around with the force of the movement. “I will always be here, I promise.”

Jongdae smiled at the other, unfurling his limbs from their cramped position to crawl across the bed and climb back upon the other’s toned thighs. His eyes creased into small crescents with the force of his beam, his eye lashes still clumped together from the tears. Minseok had never seen such a beautiful sight; the other’s naturally-curly hair that had recently been dyed jet black framed his stunningly symmetrical features prettily. His body was lean but strong, and was only hidden from view by a set of red sleeping shorts and an oversized button up that slipped deliciously off his shoulder, revealing delicate collarbones. He felt the need to express his utter adoration for the vulnerable man, but couldn’t find the words, so he settled for pulling the younger in for a passionate kiss. 

Jongdae melted into the other’s embrace, securing his position by wrapping his arms around the older man’s neck, stroking at his nape when Minseok’s tongue poked at his bottom lip, seeking permission. Jongdae granted the other access, allowing his groans to be swallowed up by the other’s mouth as the kiss deepened. 

Minseok grinned against Jongdae's lips, loving how vocal his younger lover was; it was very fitting given his ability to sing. He himself tended to be quieter in the bedroom in general - a few grunts and whispers of elation here and there - but it was known amongst their little criminal family that when Jongdae was in the sack, he really let loose. It sometimes got to the point that Kyungsoo or Sehun would come banging on the door in warning to keep it down, and since they’d all moved in together, Suho had invested in some sound-proofing material that had been inserted into the walls in a futile attempt to get some sleep.

Minseok ran his warm hands down Jongdae’s thighs, chuckling softly at the shiver they elicited. He used this vantage point to press the pads of his fingers into the sensitive skin of his inner thighs, holding them down firmly as the raven-haired male tried to snap his legs shut in protest. Jongdae broke the kiss, his chest heaving as a pout formed on his bruised lips.

“Hyung, that’s not fair.” He whined breathlessly, gripping onto the blonde strands at the back of Minseok’s head as the man huffed a laugh into the crook of his neck. The warm breath was soon replaced by the sensation of Minseok’s lips brushing against the pale column, pressing feather-light kisses to the bared skin. 

Jongdae whined and began to roll his hips down onto the other’s crotch, his excitement made apparent by the tenting of his shorts. Minseok pulled back, a mischievous smile playing on his reddened lips.

“Now, now, don’t get too carried away. We have the entire night to play with, after all.” He palmed the other’s arousal, a sob spilling from Jongdae’s lips.

“Hyung, please. I need you.” The assassin whimpered, bucking against air as Minseok held back his hips. 

“Aish, are you going to be this difficult the entire time? Because if so, I will be forced to tie you down.” The blonde threatened, a cheeky glint in his feline eyes.

Another sob forced its way out of Jongdae’s throat, louder than the last.

“N-no. I promise I’ll behave. Maybe.” 

“You don’t sound too sure, Dae.”

Jongdae attempted to seek friction once again, and Minseok let him have a brief moment of contact, their clothed members brushing, before retaining his vice-like grip on the other.

Jongdae groaned at the feeling, the sound reverberating gloriously around the silent room. Minseok, despite his eagerness to hear the dark-haired male sing in pleasure, clamped a hand over his mouth.

“You might want to keep it down a bit; I think the others are all in bed. You don’t want them to wake up and hear what a disobedient boy you’re being, do you?” 

A blush rose to Jongdae’s cheeks and ears. He bit his lip as his fingers scrabbled to take off the other’s shirt, ignoring the remark.

“Off.” He growled, letting his cool fingers explore the dips and curves of Minseok’s six-pack under the cotton material. Minseok tutted at his impatience, but relented, releasing the other long enough to discard the garment. 

Once the older boy’s toned torso was exposed, Jongdae wasted no time in pushing the other down onto the pillows, grazing his fingertips over the tanned expanse of skin. He followed soon after with his tongue, smirking and shooting a wink at the older as the warm muscle dipped and flicked across the planes of his chest. 

He moved up to press a fleeting kiss to Minseok’s lips before tonguing at the prominent V-line the older boy sported, tugging teasingly at the hem of his boxers. Above him, he could hear the soft gasps and moans that his ministrations prompted.

“Jesus, Dae, get on with it.” The older panted, his own cheeks coloured a soft pink as he stared down at the minx with lust-filled eyes.

With grace that only Jongdae could muster up in such a situation, Minseok was stripped bare, his member springing proudly out from its fabric constraint. Jongdae eyed the penis hungrily, giving his hyung no warning before engulfing the entire length in his mouth in one go.

Minseok’s eyes flew open and his back arched off of the bed at the sudden heat that surrounded his cock, his fingers reaching down to tangle themselves harshly into the curly strands of his boyfriend’s hair, knuckles white.

A series of quiet, gargled noises erupted from his mouth as Jongdae began to bob up and down at an incredible speed, his rhythm never faltering. 

He didn't let up, alternating between pressing kisses to the shaft and constricting his throat around it, his saliva dripping down his chin and onto the length as he continued. The room was filled with the dirty sounds of Minseok’s hushed moans and the wet noises of the blow-job which only spurred Jongdae on.

After several minutes of the blissful torture, Minseok felt the pressure reach its peak. He pulled at the younger’s hair, attempting to warn him, but when he looked down to meet the other’s eyes, the sight of Jongdae’s kitten lips red and swollen around himself, a line of drool escaping from the corner, was too much to bear and it pushed him over the edge.

“Ah! J-Jongdae-ah! I’m going to-“ 

Jongdae deliberately hummed around the length, deep-throating it with ease as the older boy released a drawn-out moan, shooting his load down the other’s throat. Jongdae continued to alternately relax and tighten his throat around the other, milking the last of his orgasm before pulling back, gasping for air. 

“Holy fucking- I still don’t know where you learnt to do that. I mean, didn’t you feel the need to breathe at all?” Minseok babbled, spent and dazed on the sheets as Jongdae wiped at his mouth and eyes, clearing away any saliva, ejaculate and stray tears. The younger waited for the other to come down from his high patiently, giggling at the other’s words. 

“Just practise.” He lay beside the other, gently reaching down the stroke the other’s length back to life as he kissed him forcefully. Minseok hummed, not minding the taste of himself on his lover’s tongue, and began to prop himself up on his elbows as the younger continued to pump him with a loose fist. Once he felt suitably energised, he sat up fully, cradling Jongdae’s sharp jawline as their tongues danced.

“You are amazing, you know that?” Minseok whispered, pulling away just enough to breathe against the other’s lips.

Jongdae snorted. “Blow-jobs are a talent of mine, I’m aware.”

Minseok slapped his thigh, causing a low moan to tumble out of his boyfriend’s ruined lips. “You know I didn’t mean it like that. I love you, Jongdae. I always have, and I always will.” 

Jongdae embraced his boyfriend tightly, burrowing his face into his shoulder. “I know. I love you too, Minseok. Forever and always.” He promised.

The moment was swiftly broken, however, when Minseok used the angle of Jongdae’s hips to pull his shorts off, the younger gasping in shock as his shaft was exposed to the cool air of the room.

He was then manhandled onto the bed, taking up the position Minseok had occupied minutes before. The older male grinned down at him, hair wild, before leaning over him to unbutton his shirt, eyes hungrily raking over the milky skin he revealed. 

Once he’d opened the shirt completely, he pushed it over the younger boy’s shoulders just enough to have access to his lean torso, immediately swooping in to mouth on a perky nipple. Jongdae’s hips bucked at each swipe of Minseok’s tongue, whimpering and wriggling as the older smirked up at him from his position. 

He released the nub with a parting nip, moving over to the other one and repeating his earlier ministrations.

“Oh-M-Minnie, that feels good-ah- don’t… don’t stop.”

The extreme sensitivity of the other’s body was something Minseok loved to exploit during sex, spending as much time as possible riling Jongdae up with calculated kisses pressed underneath his jaw and lingering touches on his inner thighs; they never failed to make Jongdae scream. 

The aforementioned man was currently struggling to form a coherent sentence as Minseok pulled at his nipples without mercy, his mouth now occupied at the base of his throat, laving over the skin in long strokes and leaving dark marks in its wake. Jongdae’s head was thrown back, his eyes squeezed shut and mouth wide open as he continued to wail at the onslaught of pleasure. 

When his voice began to crack and break with exhaustion, Minseok finally lent back, laughing adoringly at the blissed-out face his lover wore.

“Dae-ah? You still with me?” He giggled, patting the younger’s sweaty cheek gently as the younger’s eyes snapped back into focus.

“Wha-?” Jongdae mumbled. 

“Are you okay?” Minseok asked, a hint of worry flashing over his flushed features as his lover looked around blearily. “Christ Dae, you haven’t even cum yet.” He motioned down to Jongdae’s member, standing to attention, its red head leaking out precome at a steady rate.

“Then you better get on with it.” Jongdae teased, his cheeky demeanour returning full-force.

Minseok rolled his eyes. “Brat.”

“Pensioner.”

“Your dirty talk is getting worse.”

“Ugh, just hurry up and fuck me!” Jongdae groaned, unaware of the volume of his voice until Minseok signalled to keep quiet with an amused “shh!”

“Your wish is my command.” He joked. He then reached down to pump Jongdae’s shaft, his other hand reaching over the side of the bed to open the bedside table drawer and pull out the lube. Jongdae watched eagerly as Minseok slathered the cold gel over his right hand, holding his breath as Minseok lowered his hand out of sight. Jongdae released the breath in the form of a desperate whine as he felt a slim finger circle his entrance, Minseok watching gleefully as the muscle clenched around air.

“Minseok, I swear to god, if you don’t do it right now I will finger myse-ah!” Jongdae’s raspy rant was cut off as the blonde man slipped his index finger inside, all the way to the hilt. The stretch was always surprisingly tight no matter how many times they fucked, so preparation was never taken lightly. 

Jongdae whimpered at the cold feeling, rotating his hips in a plea for the other to add more. Minseok raised an eyebrow, but did as told, adding another digit alongside the first one. He began to pump the two in and out in steady tandem, occasionally scissoring them apart to allow for the accommodation of the final finger, which he added a few minutes after.

Having three fingers up his arse wasn’t something Jongdae ever got used to, but he begged for more through broken moans and mewls, tears dribbling down his face every time the older boy curled his fingers up into his prostate. Minseok allowed the other to ride his fingers up until the point when his cries became throaty wails, before extracting them slowly.

He wiped his fingers on the sheets as he inspected his boyfriend’s state. It was clear that he wasn’t going to last much longer, judging by the flush that spread down his body and his lust-crazed eyes, so without further ado he lubed up his shaft, hissing at the brief contact, before lining himself up with Jongdae’s entrance.

Placing his hands either side of Jongdae’s head, he smiled down at him gently, manoeuvring them both so the younger’s thighs were wrapped securely around his waist.

“Ready?”

An almost silent snivel was the only response he got and Minseok chuckled before snapping his hips forward, sheathing himself inside the tight heat of Jongdae in one, brutal thrust.

Jongdae screamed, back arching at an impossible angle as tears of pleasure dripped off his chin. Minseok gave him thirty seconds to adjust before pulling out and slamming back in. The raven-haired male’s voice broke off into a strangled wail, his hands grasping for purchase on his lover’s biceps as the force of the penetration pushed him up the bed. 

“M-min-AH-seok!”

The sound of Jongdae’s voice cracking only spurred him on, setting a pace that almost had the bed banging against the wall noisily. It was a good thing that Jongdae’s acrobatic training made him flexible, otherwise it was likely he would’ve broken something by now, Minseok mused as pounded into the younger man, stopping every now and then to switch positions. 

Shifting the younger so that he was in his lap, the blonde man let the younger take over. Jongdae pressed his moans into the other’s broad shoulder as he fucked himself harshly. He sucked hickeys into his lover’s damp skin, shrieking when Minseok angled himself so that he rubbed against the bundle of nerves with each thrust. 

“Y-yes! Just there, Minnie! Don’t s-stop!” He sang, moving his focus to said man’s lips, panting into his mouth as their pace increased, chasing after their orgasms.

Minseok’s brow furrowed as he staved off his own climax, determined to let his partner finish first.

“Come for me, Jongdae.” He growled into a hot ear, thrusting deeply at the same time.

The combination proved to be too much stimulation, and Jongdae came loudly, screeching the blonde’s name as he painted their stomachs with his release. Minseok finished soon after, groaning softly as he orgasmed for the second time inside of Jongdae. 

They pulled apart carefully, both practically boneless and panting with exertion as they flopped onto the soiled sheets. Minseok was the first to recover, sitting up to find Jongdae spread-eagle across half of the bed, staring up at him with a silly smile lighting up his beautiful face. 

“Are you okay? Sorry if I was a bit rough on you.” Minseok uttered, reaching over to push the other’s sweat-matted hair out of his face. 

“You were perfect, like always.” Jongdae sighed, drifting off. He didn’t register the fact that Minseok even left the room until he felt a cool flannel being swept across his stomach and thighs, clearing away most of the mess.

After Minseok disposed of the flannel in the wash basket, he settled down beside his lover, manoeuvring the pliant limbs until the younger was lying on top of him; their preferred sleeping position ever since they were children. They didn’t bother with clothes, their activities having made the room the perfect ambient temperature to sleep comfortably in.

Just as the two men were about to drop off, Jongdae sniffed.

“Thank you Minnie.” The younger boy mumbled into the warm skin of his chest, almost incoherently.

Minseok looked down at his peaceful face, catching some stray drool with his fingers as he smiled. “What for, sweetie?”

“For getting me out of that place and saving me. Bringing me here…” Jongdae trailed off, light snores escaping from his parted lips as unconsciousness took him.

Minseok wrapped his arms lovingly around the thin man, pulling him up to rest higher on his torso, relishing in the feel of the younger in his arms.

“It was my pleasure, Dae.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment/ leave kudos!~  
> Thank you so much to those who already have! *^^*


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No estoy muerto! >///

The next morning, the eight men gathered together for a quiet breakfast. The only noises to be heard were the clinking of spoons on china bowls and the low whispers of several conversations being uttered between the more lively members.

Suho sat silently at the head of the table, his eyes fixed on the grain of the wood on the table top as he mindlessly spooned rice into his mouth. The others noticed his lack of attention but chose not to comment on it, knowing that the day ahead was going to be a challenging - and no doubt stressful - one for their leader.

As Kyungsoo tore Jongdae and Minseok a new one (something about respecting the legal decibel levels at night time) and Jongin chortled into his bowl of Chocolate Chex, Suho thought back to the events of the previous day. After he’d reprimanded Jongin and Sehun, sleep had evaded him and he had spent the following four hours in his study digging for any information he could find on the Wu Group. It had been arduous work, especially without Minseok’s help, but he finally managed to access the police and government files that were, unsurprisingly, of little use. However, he did finally get to put a face to the notorious Kris Wu’s name. It seemed that he’d been working within crime rings from a young age, and back when he was an inexperienced teenager he’d had his fair share of run-ins with the Chinese police, hence Suho had been provided with ample photos and arrest reports of an angry-looking teen with pimples covering the majority of his youthful face.

Suho wasn’t certain if he’d recognise the man now, but at least his organisation was one-up on the Wu group in that respect; Minseok had wiped clean any and all records and birth certificates of the EXO members years ago, ensuring that they no longer existed as far as normal society was concerned. Suho had been reassured that nobody knew their faces, other than the select few that came into direct contact with the men. To the rest of the world, they were just whispers on the wind, names to be known, both respected and feared.

The grey-haired leader smirked into his cup of coffee as he thought about their lives and how far they’d come. It hadn’t been an easy journey, but they’d finally bribed, black-mailed and slaughtered their way to the top of the criminal food chain, and Suho wouldn’t deny that he was proud of all the hard work his men had put in to get here. But his expression darkened as his mind turned to thoughts of the organisation that threatened the reality they’d sacrificed so much for. 

Earlier that morning, he had contacted Winner and had worked tirelessly with Jinwoo to arrange a meeting with an anonymous representative of the Chinese group over a secure server; he had to drag a sex-ruffled Minseok out from beneath Jongdae’s unconscious clutches to help them create it. According to the doe-eyed banker, the Wu group had been expecting a rebellion from Busan’s underworld and had been avidly awaiting EXO’s response, so they hadn’t taken long to reply to the duo’s request. The conceited attitude and superior demeanour that the rival gang displayed had Suho seeing red to the extent that he had to depart for the shooting range at 4.28 am to test out the new missile launchers they had imported from Hong Kong the previous morning. Kris Wu was evidently playing some sort of power game that Suho wanted no part in, and he planned to make his stance perfectly clear to the egotistical bastards in precisely – he glanced down at his watch - one hour and eight minutes.

No face-to-face contact was to occur in the ‘meeting’. Instead both parties had agreed to allocate two trusted subordinates to exchange formalities and discuss terms behind computer screens. Suho rubbed at his eyes as he stood up. He was an atheist, but that didn’t discourage him from sending a few silent prayers to whatever deity dubiously existed that the Wu group saw sense and respected the unspoken law of territory between syndicates before withdrawing the contract. 

He wished the others a pleasant morning as he left the dining room, his meal barely touched. He tried to appear stoic as he marched through various departments within their headquarters and went over everyone’s schedules and operations for the day, but it was difficult; the impromptu online assembly was weighing heavily on his sleep-deprived mind and he had yet to brief Taeil on his newfound duties as peacemaker. 

He found Taeil and his small but intelligent team of techies on the lowest basement level, where the software and engineering department was based. This was Minseok’s domain, and the evidence was apparent in their surroundings; white brick walls and modern, classy furnishings with high-tech gadgets and screens hooked up to every socket available. It somewhat resembled a government intelligence base, and Suho couldn’t help but snort at the irony. He strode through the glass doors of the department, making his way over to the younger man’s desk where the familiar tuft of grey hair stood proudly over the glass dividers, politely returning the flustered greetings and bows of the last few remaining technicians of the graveyard shift as he sauntered past. 

“Suho-ssi!” Taeil’s large eyes widened endearingly as he spotted his hyung. He attempted to smooth out the wrinkles in his red sweater as he finished his cup of coffee in one hasty gulp. 

“Good morning Taeil.” Suho greeted the boy as he rounded the desk, coming up to stand behind the other as he finished up his work with a few taps on his keyboard. 

“I trust the night-shift went well?” He squinted at the other’s large monitor, but couldn’t make out anything legible within the lines of code that flickered and changed every few seconds. Taeil hummed and with one harsh tap, the screen went black.

“Sorry about that, Minseok set up a bug in the system last night for us to eliminate; he does it every few months to test our aptitude on recognising and erasing any viruses in our system or attempts to hack into our network.” He said softly, his eyes never meeting Suho’s as he rambled on uncertainly. 

Suho nodded in understanding as he offered the shy boy a reassuring smile. “That’s good; we need to be on our toes at all times, especially given recent events.” His eyes darkened as they made contact with the younger boy’s. “Did you receive my email?”

Taeil jerked his head. “Ah, yes. I got it earlier this morning. What is it you wanted to discuss with me?” He finished in a low voice, wary of the strange looks his underlings kept shooting his way. 

“Accompany me into Minseok’s office and you will find out.”

Suho walked down the centre isle of the large room until he reached his hyung’s office at the end; a spacious room surrounded by opaque glass walls and a security system so difficult to hack that it would give Kevin David Mitnick a run for his money. Thankfully, Minseok had left it on a low setting after Suho asked to borrow the area for the meeting so that with only a few punches to a keypad and a retina check, the two were permitted entry.

Suho gestured for Taeil to take a seat on one of the sofas found in the centre of the room once the glass door slid shut. The boy did so, albeit with an air of unease surrounding his movements. Suho understood his awkwardness; Minseok was never overly friendly to his team, and so Taeil – despite being assistant to the aforementioned man - had probably never set foot in this office before unless to deliver data reports, let alone been given the chance to sit down on one of the luxurious settees. Well, it’s nice to finally know what Minseok spends his money on, Suho thought bemusedly. 

He perched on the arm of the sofa opposite the other, making sure the other was attentive before starting.

“As words have gone around, I’m sure you’re aware of the Wu group’s recent investment in Busan.” Taeil nodded, chewing on his plump bottom lip as his hyung continued. 

“And, again, I’m sure you know that this wasn’t something we or any other syndicate in the city agreed to, therefore they have violated the rule of never infringing on other gangs’ primary regions of influence. Hence we are faced with the task of removing them from this area as the key organisation in the southern provinces.” Taeil nodded again.

Suho exhaled slowly. “So, last night, Winner and I managed to secure an agreement to an online conference with an unknown party within the Wu Group. This conference was created with the intention of them withdrawing their contract and all association with the acquisition in return for money. I don’t care how much, as long as it isn’t extortionate. Your task is to be EXO’s spokesperson, and represent our views in the meeting, but don’t panic; they won’t know your identity and you’ll be safe behind the security server Minseok and Jinwoo perfected last night.”

Taeil didn’t seem remotely fazed by the prospect of interacting directly with the most dangerous group in Southern Asia, and Suho felt a small twinge of affection for him at his surprisingly sturdy demeanour; Minseok’s recommendation of him now made sense. 

“Okay, but what if they refuse our proposal?” 

Suho stood up and walked over to the glass desk in the corner, where all the necessary equipment for the meeting had been set up hours earlier.

“Then let them know in no uncertain terms that they aren’t welcome here. If they insist on becoming a nuisance, then we won’t hesitate to exterminate them like the pests they are.”

Taeil noted this down on a tablet he had seemingly conjured up from nowhere.

“Alright, got it. When is this conference due to commence?” 

Suho smirked at the other’s nonchalance. It was good to know that their subordinates had enough confidence in EXO’s power that the prospect of taking on the Wu Group didn’t perturb them in the slightest.

“You have approximately thirty-five minutes left. You will be connected as of 0830, and you will communicate through a private chatroom. Be firm but don’t use provocative language or - god forbid - emoticons. We haven’t set a duration limit, so please do your best to negotiate and take your time, and know that Jinwoo will be monitoring the chat and both webcams as part of our agreement to ensure legitimate communication.” Suho spoke solemnly. 

Taeil’s head was still bowed, brows knitted into a frown as his nimble fingers tapped out more notes on the device in his hands.

“Any questions?” The head of the organisation scanned the technician’s face as he glanced up, expression bereft of any of the nerves Suho had been expecting. 

“No, I understand.”

“Good.”

The older male stayed beside Taeil’s side for the remaining time leading up to the meeting, running through the last few details of the proceedings and checking in on his team every now and again through the earpieces. Minseok appeared ten minutes before the meeting was due to establish server connection and receive the affirmative from Jinwoo that the other group was ready to go. They then left Taeil in the office, sitting resolutely in front of Minseok’s laptop gnawing at a fingernail in thought. They had two minutes left.

“Don’t fuck this up, Taeil. And don’t break my laptop, or I will personally decapitate you,” were Minseok’s parting words of wisdom and support, and Suho had to physically refrain from smacking his socially-stunted hyung in front of his subordinate, a feat not without a lot of effort on his part. 

Taeil, however, seemed used to this treatment and took it all in his stride.

“Yes sir.”

Suho settled for an encouraging nod towards the younger, who replied with a small bow and a faint smile gracing his lips. 

Once the door sealed itself behind them with a quiet hiss, Minseok strode off to address one of his minions, who had tentatively called him over with a grimace tugging at her features. He checked his watch - only 30 seconds to go. Suho exhaled slowly.  
He tried to reassure himself, telling himself that it would all work out favourably and that the Chinese group would understand and adhere by their terms and return to their throne in the capital; the two rival organisations parting ways as unlikely associates. There was no need for this to end in blood. Suho could only hope that Wu had enough sense to know when he was crossing a line, and that he would react accordingly to the underworld’s rules.

Yet as he wove his way towards the upper floors, he couldn’t rid himself of the twisted feeling of unease that had settled into his gut. Suho was a man that trusted his instincts, and regretfully, he was currently inclined to believe that this situation wasn’t as simple as it seemed from the outside; that the Wu group had ulterior motives, neatly wrapped up in a façade of feigned interest in a low-profile business in Busan. It just didn’t add up, and that made the leader wary.

Suho massaged his temples as he forced his way into his office, slumping in his seat as he tried not to think about how the most important conference of EXO’s career as of yet was underway just five floors down from where he sat. He was exhausted, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep until he was sure they were safe and secure in their own city.

“Christ, I can actually feel your stress.”

Suho jumped at Kyungsoo’s monotonous voice in his ear. 

“Holy - D.O don’t do that!” Suho managed to stop the curse in due course, suddenly aware of the security camera in the corner of his office, trained on him with a beady red eye.

“What, don’t talk to you? But what if something happens? What if we are being attacked? Would you rather I send over a carrier pigeon to inform you of a breach in security?”

“Stop being pedantic, you know what I meant.” Suho sighed, logging in to his computer and busying himself with emails and bank statements, trying to will away his nerves by affirming his wealth. 

“Hm.”

“What is it you want?” Suho asked through gritted teeth.

“Chanyeol called; wanted to let you know that VIXX moved the meeting point down to Goesan, so they will be back later this evening instead of tomorrow.”

“Okay, thank you.” He promptly signed off, not caring how rude it was. His mind was too preoccupied by scenarios involving different tactics for taking down the Wu group should the meeting come to a less than savoury conclusion to worry about a minor gang changing locations for the exchange of firearms. 

He silently finished up an email to a personal friend and billionaire – Leetuk - apologising for the raucous behaviour of Baekhyun and Sehun at one of his casinos the other week, promising to pay any damages. Whilst Leetuk was as forgiving of the debacle as ever, Suho felt it was only right to bestow a small fee upon his hyung in order to ingratiate himself further with the older man, who also happened to be the boss of the second biggest mafia in Seoul, known as Super Junior. 

He sent off the humble reply with a click of the mouse and reclined back in his chair with a deep sigh. He stared blankly at his screen, his sleep-deprived brain sluggish. His eyelids tingled with exhaustion, but he was still too on edge to fall under the clutches of sleep, so he forced himself to sort through the report files cluttering his usually-pristine desk.

 

*

 

“-ho… SUHO!”

He startled awake with an undignified snort. A report sheet was stuck to his cheek, and he pulled it off with a grimace.

“What is it?”

“The meeting’s over.” Minseok’s voice stoically reported through the feed.

Suho’s heart skipped a beat, and he checked the clock on the wall. It had been two hours since the conference started.

“And?”

He waited with bated breath.

“We are in the clear; the Wu group will withdraw all ownership of the business in exchange for 118,600,000,000₩, tax included.”

Suho almost crumpled to the floor in relief, despite the continued feeling of apprehension coiling sickeningly in his stomach. 

“Oh thank god. That saves us from having to go through the trouble of fighting them off at least.”

“Indeed. Although I wouldn’t mind kicking their teeth in for even thinking of pulling off this stunt in the first place. They were just after our money all along.”

Suho hummed noncommittally. “Well if they try it again, we will confront them, but for now I’m just happy to return to business as usual. I’ve struck us some great new deals today; they’re risky but extremely profitable.”

Minseok chuckled humourlessly. “What’s life without a challenge, eh? As long as it pays back what we lost today, I’m game.”

“Thought you might be. Now go give Taeil a pay rise and a cup of alcohol-infused coffee; I’m going to contact the bank to confirm the transferal and then tell the others.”

“Good luck.”

“Hm? What for?”

“Breaking the news of our loss to Sehun.”

 

*

 

Needless to say, the second Minseok activated the open network of their earpieces, the line went crazy. 

“Are you being serious? Fuck no! I worked hard to earn us that money!”

“Hey, hey - none of that language!”

“Sehun, you’re so full of shit. This is actually a fairly good outcome given the circumstances and their gigantic egos. You’re definitely focussing on the wrong thing here.” Minseok retorted.

“And you’re not the only one who makes money, thank you very much!” Baekhyun tutted.

“I happen to make the most at any one time.”

“Bullshit. Do you even know how much I can get paid for a quick hit-and-run mission? Desperate people are quick to pull out their wallets let me tell you.”

“Jongin-ah, it’s not a competition.”

“Tell the brat that.”

“Does this mean we will be running a new business? Because I call dibs!” Chanyeol piped up.

“Christ I hope not. We’ve got enough to keep track of as it is. I think we should sell it.” Kyungsoo huffed.

“To who?”

“Oh I don’t know - the Easter bunny perhaps?”

“Fuck off Soo.”

“Boys, stop it. It’s all been taken care of - I’ve already sold it to the bank, who will auction it off somewhere to another gang in the area, so stop squabbling.”

“When am I going to be put in charge of a business? It’s been five years!” Chanyeol grumbled.

“When you grow a pair and learn to shut the fuck up long enough to hear Suho out, you dipshit.”

“Minseok, what did I say about language?”

“Yah, I’m older than you!”

“Fine, you can sleep on the streets from now on.”

“… sorry.”

“Thank you, now, as I was saying, Winner have put it on the black market for the other organisations in the city to fight over - it’s no longer our problem. And neither are the Wu group, so let’s get back down to business; Chanyeol, you and Sehun are enroute to Goesan, correct?”

“Already here boss.” Chanyeol confirmed.

“Great. Okay, Minseok and Soo-ah, you two are already working so that’s all sorted. Baekhyun, Jongin and Jongdae, please come see me in my office; I have an assignment of significance for you three.”

“Okiedokie!”

“Sure.”

“We’ll be there in five.”

 

*

 

Baekhyun hummed softly under his breath as he gazed down at the city from his perch atop a multi-storey building. The streets were beginning to darken, but his eyes never strayed from his primary target; a balding, stout man who hurriedly fled down a maze of shady alleyways until he came to sudden halt before the silent figure of another man; target number two. Baekhyun’s eyes narrowed.

Suho had briefed them of the task not five hours ago; there were rumours that a large printing firm in the area were planning to rebel against EXO, who had coerced them into giving EXO a third of the company’s profits a year ago after the CEO had come crawling to them for investment when his debts finally caught up with him. 

Baekhyun had been following the movements of the CEO all afternoon, and most recently, through the back streets of Busan after he’d suspiciously excused himself from work two hours earlier than usual upon receiving a private phone call. The old man was panting as he approached the mysterious, tall stranger who was clad in black and a facial mask. The spy couldn’t make out any of the newcomer’s features other than the eyes, but he already knew that it wasn’t a face he’d seen before.

He held up a steady hand; a signal to the two positioned snipers on the nearby rooftops to hold. Keeping to the shadows, he made his way down the side of the building, fitting his small frame into a small alcove of window, safely out of sight of the two conspiring men below, but still within the snipers’ range. 

The late afternoon air was cool and still, so the men’s voices carried clearly up, despite their hushed tones.

“My money.”

The stranger’s voice was deep and muffled by the mask.

“Y-yes, here. The first instalment, as per our agreement.” He held out the briefcase he was carrying - the one Baekhyun watched him pull out from a hidden alcove in his office earlier. 

The stranger snatched the leather carrier from the man’s sweaty palms and crouched down on the street, opening the brass latches and counting through the neat stacks of crisp notes meticulously. 

“How much?” The dark man asked lowly, his eyes never leaving the money.

“4,400,600,100₩ exactly.” The CEO murmured nervously.

The stranger nodded and promptly snapped the briefcase close, standing up. The older man jumped.

“The job will be complete come tomorrow noon. I will expect the rest of my payment then, in cash.” 

Baekhyun frowned. He needed details on this so called ‘job’ before they made any decisive moves. Nonetheless, he silently gestured for the snipers to ready their fire. 

“Make sure he’s dead. Him and his wretched team. For good. They’ve been leeching off of my profits for far too long.” The CEO snarled, his wrinkled face morphing into a mask of hatred. Baekhyun smirked. Who knew that the same old fart who worried and fussed his way around the workplace had so much fire within him.

So the ‘stranger’ was an assassin for hire, it seemed. Baekhyun perked up at this information, but kept a wary ear trained on the conversation, needing confirmation that this treacherous plot was indeed targeted at EXO; the last thing he wanted was to get them stuck in the middle of another petty feud.

“Exterminate the leaders of EXO. Got it.”

Bingo. Baekhyun grinned. What a delusional amateur; he clearly had no idea who he was up against, and the spy almost felt a bit of regret for what he was about to do - the rookie never stood a chance. He flicked his wrist up and watched as small, red laser points fell upon the foreheads of the men. From his dark hideaway, Baekhyun could see them share a look of mild horror as they realised the nature of the lights before they crumpled onto the cold tarmac below, the shocked expressions frozen on their faces.

Baekhyun proceeded to climb down the rest of the building, scanning for any witnesses in the deserted alleyway before stepping out of the shadows. He made his way over to the limp bodies, careful to skip over the messy pools of blood and brain matter as he inspected their lifeless forms. He shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his black trench coat as he nudged the nameless assassin’s side with his boot. The body rolled over with ease, the limbs flopping open and exposing the young man’s face. Baekhyun crouched on his haunches to pull down the mask, spending a few minutes scrutinising the sculpted features. His eyes were open and glassy and his lips parted in fear; his last few seconds of life displayed on his face. The only thing marring it was the rivulet of blood that streamed down the bridge of his nose to his chin from the bullet wound in his head.

“Nicely done guys. Jongin, be a lamb and bring round the clean-up team, would you?”

A deep sigh resonated in his ear.

“Yes sir.” Came the sarcastic reply.

“As for you, Jongdae, stop aiming at me and help him.” He glared playfully at a distant rooftop, following the faint red beam into the darkness from where it was directed at his chest. He heard a faint giggle down the feed, but the steady laser beam quickly vanished. 

He pushed himself upright, sparing the young criminal a pitying glance as he stepped over to pry the briefcase out of his still-warm fingertips.

“Consider it compensation for all the trouble you gave us.” He whispered to the cooling corpse of the CEO, a twisted grin tugging at his lips as a satisfied warmth spread through his body at a job well-done. 

At that second, the alleyway was flooded with the lights from the truck being parked just beyond the narrow entrance. Baekhyun made his way over to the cabin, weaving his way between the flurry of men that flowed out of the vehicle, armed with body bags and cleaning equipment. He accepted the hand Jongdae offered him, pulling himself up into the passenger seat beside the younger male. Jongin sat behind the wheel, muttering into his earpiece as Jongdae excitedly patted his thigh.

“Is that for us?” He motioned towards the leather briefcase Baekhyun rested on his knees. The spy just nodded mutely, a small grin on his lips as he scrubbed at his eyes furiously. 

“Yep. It seems he was rebelling after all. That other man was a hired assassin who’d obviously not been in the business all that long.” He muttered. Jongdae hummed, eyes following the men, now carrying two full body bags towards the open doors around the back.

“I wonder who he worked for.” The hitman mused absentmindedly.

Baekhyun shrugged, turning around to address the clean-up crew when he felt the thump of the bodies being dumped in the back.

“All done?” 

There was a chorus of affirmatives from behind, and Jongin finished up his conversation as he shifted the van into gear. He shot his hyung a rueful smile and pulled out into a quiet street. “Good work Baek. Soo just told me that Suho wants you to go to the salon for a minute and send him the report-document-thing you made on the information gathered from Ms Jung apparently - I don’t know what he’s talking about, but you probably do.” 

Baekhyun cursed under his breath and glared at him. Jongin lifted his hands from the wheel in surrender. 

“Don’t shoot the messenger.” 

“Fine. Just drop me off; I’ll find my own way back later.”

Jongin nodded, his eyes trained on the well-lit road. Between them, Jongdae’s head lolled around as he slept. Baekhyun snorted when his head jerked up as Jongin sped up over a speed bump (on purpose), only to flop back down a second later. Sharing a knowing smile with Jongin, he guided Jongdae’s head to his shoulder, ignoring the fact that the younger boy was drooling on his expensive coat and his curls were tickling his cheek. Baekhyun had noticed that he never seemed rested after a night’s sleep, so he couldn’t bring himself to wake the assassin from what seemed to be a much-needed nap. We could all do with a bit of a break every now and again, Baekhyun thought. He prayed that things would begin to calm down from now on.

 

*

 

“Good evening Mark, Ten.”

The two boys bowed respectfully from their stations to their hyung as he entered the salon, the bell above the door tinkling pleasantly. They went back to working on their customers, chatting away politely as they snipped, trimmed, and dyed several heads of hair, paying Baekhyun no further heed, for which he was thankful. He slipped behind the desk, woke up the computer and accessed his personal account. It took him a few minutes to locate the document within the organised chaos that was his filing system, but he quickly sent it off to Suho once he’d checked the contents. He spent a good half an hour behind the counter, lazily flicking through online beauty catalogues and placing orders. Just as he was logging off, the bell above the door sounded. He didn’t bother to look up, instead busying himself with his phone that had just buzzed in his pocket seconds ago. 

But before he could even tap out the final digit of his password, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He spun around to come face to face with Ten, who sported a sheepish smile.

“Ah, sorry hyung, but I’m afraid this one is for you.” He gestured towards the man who was sitting on the couches at the far end of the room, lazily browsing through a glossy magazine, his feet resting on the coffee table.

Recognising the shock of white hair, Baekhyun’s good mood nose-dived south. He adopted his best scowl as he stomped over to the arrogant male, not caring that there were other people present.

“Why is it you insist on tormenting me with your insufferable presence?”

T.O.P smirked icily as he slowly looked up to address Baekhyun.

“Well, if it isn’t my favourite dwarf. You know, salons are supposed to make their customers comfortable. I regret to report that I’m not a satisfied customer.”

“I regret to report that I don’t give a shit. Stop playing around and tell me what you want.” Baekhyun spat.

T.O.P made a show of dragging himself off of the plush sofa, drawing himself up to his full height in a petty attempt to intimidate the younger criminal. Baekhyun simply cocked a brow.

“I’m waiting.”

The model-like male chuckled, his eyes glinting with a mix of amusement and disdain. He mockingly bent down to Baekhyun’s eye level, his face so close that the spy could feel his breath against his cheeks. Although he felt uncomfortable with the close proximity, he stood his ground, crossing his arms and glaring into T.O.P dark eyes resolutely. 

“I came to give you our congratulations on your handling of the Wu group. And my condolences.”

Baekhyun’s eye twitched as minty breath fanned over his lips and he took a step back, all too aware of the eyes of his team boring into his back.

“I don’t understand… G-Dragon talked to Suho earlier about the conference; I imagine they exchanged the necessary pleasantries then. So why - hold on, condolences?”

T.O.P’s ever-present smirk widened cruelly. 

“Indeed. I was heartbroken to hear that you’ll all be leaving us.”

Baekhyun frowned, confusion clouding his mind.

“You’re not making any sense.”

The older criminal surged in suddenly, gripping Baekhyun’s chin forcefully between long fingers. The spy’s eyes widened dramatically at the action, a surprised squeak slipping past his lips as the large digits dug uncomfortably into the skin of his cheeks.

Baekhyun was only vaguely aware of presence of the two stylists, now ushering the last few customers out of the door and hurrying to take on defensive stances just a few metres behind him. In his shock he also didn’t register T.O.P slipping a hand into his coat pocket and pulling out his phone until Chanyeol’s voice broke him out of his stunned reverie. 

“Baek, where are you - ugh! – Whatever you do, don’t set a foot on the premises, okay? Promise me you’ll run. It’s the police - oh for fucks sake – hah! - I don’t know how, or who o-or what, look - just… just run! Don’t worry about us, we’ll be fine, and we’ll be counting on you, so get out of the city!” In the background, there was the distant sound of their alarm bell wailing amidst the cries and grunts and gunshots. 

Baekhyun simply gaped at the sneering face of his so-called ‘comrade’ as the voicemail replayed itself over and over, Chanyeol’s harried pleas and groans of pain the only things registering in his mind.

“Wh-what was that?” He whispered brokenly.

T.O.P released the boy with a harsh shove, his limp body colliding into the two teenagers stationed behind him. They caught him and pulled him up, glaring venomously at the tall male.

“Justice for the people of Busan.” He snarled, stepping past the trio coolly, dropping the phone onto the hardwood flooring.

“Good riddance to you all.” And with that, T.O.P strode out of the building, slamming the door behind him.

Baekhyun shakily pulled away from the arms of his employees, brushing off their concerned glances and outstretched hands as they tried to talk to him. He reached down to pick up the thankfully intact phone, moving past them to reach the exit.

“Just… get home safe.” He heard himself telling the two boys.

“Wait hyung! Where are you going?” Mark’s voice was shrill. 

“I need to go to them; I need to make sure they’re okay!” Somewhere in the back of his mind, the reasonable part of himself was telling him that it was a stupid idea - the worst, in fact; Chanyeol had specifically told him to do the opposite. He wouldn't be of any help to them if he ended up in handcuffs too.

But at that moment in time, the voice of reason was drowned out by Baekhyun’s immense fear for his friends’ well-being. If the police were finally here to lock them up, then they were surely in the midst of a violent brawl as they spoke, and there was a chance that one of them would befall injury - or dare he say it, death.

No. Baekhyun shook his head. He refused to stand here idly as his members fought for their lives just minutes away.

“Hyung, you can’t! You heard Chanyeol, you’ll be caught too!” Ten cried, his large eyes pleading as he grabbed the spy’s arm. 

Baekhyun shook the boy off. “I need to! I can’t… I won’t stand here whilst they’re being arrested. I need to help them.” He stared imploringly into the teenager’s teary eyes. He spared a moment to address the two that were like younger brothers to him.

“You’ll be okay. Just go home, forget about us - you’ll be safe then.”

Mark shook his head, stubbornness etched onto his youthful features. “Hyung - no-“

Baekhyun silenced him with a kiss to their foreheads.

“You’ll be okay.” He repeated softly. He then turned on his heel and burst out of the salon, sparing a second to glance both ways down the empty street in hope of hailing a taxi. None were present, so his jumbled mind numbly calculated the quickest route on foot before he took off sprinting down the road.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliff-hanger! Muahaha.  
> Seriously though I know I’m dragging this out and I’m sorry but please be patient because it will be worth it! Eventually. I promise.  
> Next chapter will have the fateful fight that the MV portrays~.  
> Thank you all once again for leaving kudos and commenting! I love hearing from you guys! ♡  
> And yes I really did google Korean cereals in order to add authenticity to the story-hence Jongin’s ‘Chocolate Chex’. From what I understand, they’re basically chocolate Shreddies (yum).


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so so sorry this took forever I kept on re-writing parts because I was never quite satisfied with how it turned out so I’ve literally been spending all this time editing all the scenes. It didn’t help that when I was writing on holiday, all my work got deleted due to wifi issues ;0;  
> I've also been writing two other fics which I will be releasing soon (another EXO one and a BTS one) because why not.  
> Again- I'm sorry for the wait and I hope it's worth the wait! /o\

“Jongdae.”

“Hm?”

“We’re here.”

Jongdae rubbed at his eyes with the heels of his palms as he peeled himself off of the seat. “Where are we exactly?” He mumbled.

“The base, you moron.” Jongin replied, fondly shaking his head at his dazed hyung. He killed the engine and stepped out of the truck, ignoring the commotion as dozens of men swarmed in on the truck like moths to a flame and pulled out the body bags for disposal. 

He simply made his way over to the over side of the cabin and opened the door, snorting when he saw that Jongdae had fallen asleep again within the space of three seconds.

“Wow.” He muttered. 

He opted for pulling the smaller male out of the passenger side and flinging him over his shoulder in a fireman’s lift. Jongdae groaned softly at the rough handling. Jongin ignored the strange looks he received from a few of the men and proceeded to march into the building, clinging onto the pathetic lump that was his hyung with one hand as he activated his earpiece with the other.

“Good evening Soo.” He murmured happily.

“Is it?” Came his boyfriend’s curt response. Jongin pouted.

“Woah there, who pissed in your tea this time?”

Kyungsoo ignored the snarky comment. “What happened to Jongdae? No one checked in with casualties.” Jongin tried to repress a cheeky smile as he picked up on the worry lacing the other’s voice. Underneath his cranky, stoic shell, Kyungsoo was a softie who cared deeply for his friends, although the older man would never admit it, which always greatly amused the younger.

“Stop smiling like that, you look ugly.” 

Jongin laughed heartily and proceeded to flash his widest smile at the camera. 

Kyungsoo tsked.

“In all seriousness, you can call off the medics. Jongdae just conked out on the way back, he’s perfectly fine.”

“And…he can’t walk by himself because?”

Jongin didn’t even deign to respond verbally, simply replying to the – frankly- idiotic question with pursed lips and a raised eyebrow aimed at the lens.

“Ah, yes. I forgot. Jongdae isn’t a ‘morning person’.”

“Scratch that. I’m not convinced he’s a person at all.”

“No comment.” 

The two stopped their familiar banter with the arrival of a new voice down the line.

“So nice of you to join us, Minseok-hyung.”

“How many times do I have to- use codenames whilst communicating via your earpieces!”

“But hyung, if the network is as secure as you preach, we shouldn’t have to worry about revealing our identities, right?”

The hacker growled menacingly.

“Shut it, Kai. And stop feeling up Chen’s arse!”

Kyungsoo’s spluttering echoed down the feed.

Jongin rolled his eyes. “Well excuse me that it’s the only part of his body with any meat on. But if it bothers you that much, I suppose I could just let go.” He did so and delighted in the shout of protest he received from the oldest as Jongdae’s body began to slip off his shoulder at considerable speed.

“Don’t you dare fucking drop him.” 

Jongin smirked. “Such a considerate boyfriend,” he crooned mockingly.

Minseok muttered curses under his breath. 

“Yeah well how would you like it if I dropped Kyungsoo on his head.”

“Couldn’t happen. I would kick your teeth in before you could lay a finger on me, unconscious or otherwise.” The aforementioned man stated stoically.

“There you have it, Xiumin. As the big man said, couldn’t happen. I’ve nothing to worry about.” Jongin retorted smugly. He shifted the lithe body up his shoulders to regain his balance as he used a hand to tap in the security code for their quarters.

“Whatever. Just leave him on the couch and go do whatever mind-numbingly boring activity your depraved mind desires.” 

Jongin rolled his eyes, but did as he was told. He dumped Jongdae down on the large settee with little regard just to irk his hyung before making his way back out of the living quarters. 

“I’m going to head down to the shooting range, Soo.”

Minseok groaned in frustration.

“Code names, please!”

“Get back to work Xiumin.”

“This is my work, brat.”

Kyungsoo groaned. “Would you two please stop bickering. Oh, and Kai?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t ever refer to me as ‘the big man’ ever again.”

“Understood, your majesty.”

“I swear to god.”

“What? Would you prefer princess? Empress? Daddy?” Jongin snorted at the last one. 

“Please don’t say things like that whilst I’m still around.” Minseok pretended to gag.

“Oh for fucks- Minseok why are you still here? Had you signed out when I told you to you could’ve saved your ear-virginity.”

“Kai, let’s be serious here.”

“You’re right Soo, who am I kidding; his ear-virginity was thoughtlessly flung out of the window as soon as he met Jongdae. Hey, that reminds me, I’m going to request that we switch rooms. I can’t sleep with him and Dae - sorry, Chen - making that racket at stupid-o’clock in the morning.”

“Okay, bye.” Minseok hastily signed out, not willing to hear his dongsaengs bitch about his sex-life.

“Finally,” Jongin breathed. “So Soo, did you have a nice day?”

“Kai?” Kyungsoo’s voice was clipped and taught with concern.

“What’s up?”

“We have a problem…”

“Huh? What is-“

The corridor lights suddenly shut off, shrouding the assassin in darkness for a second before they lit up again, the bulbs now emitting a stark, red light. The change in lighting was accompanied by the loud shrieking of a siren, and Jongin’s blood froze.

The security breach alarm.

“Kai?” 

He jolted into action, his mind more focussed than ever at the prospect of a threat. 

“D.O, why did you activate the alarm? Tell me what you see.” He ordered, just as the other’s joined them on the line.

“D.O? Report. What’s happening?” Suho’s demanded, voice steely.

He heard the security guard exhale through the feed, probably trying to get a grip on the situation that was unfurling before his eyes before answering. 

“Our gates have been breached. It’s the police; they’ve bought backup, and a lot of it. Approximately thirteen cars plus a good fifty-plus raid vans surround us on all sides, and there are a lot of men. At a glance I would say at least several hundred armed SWAT officers.” 

“Fuck.”

“They’re heading towards the southern and eastern entrances of the building; I’ve already alerted the guards on patrol.”

“Good, keep them updated. Xiumin, keep our internal security systems up and running- the last thing we want is them snooping around our databases. Sehun, prepare our escape route to the hideout in the mountains. Only bring necessities. Kai, Chen and Park, meet me in the arms room with backup. Does anyone know of Byun’s whereabouts?”

“We left him in Geumjeong-Gu. Haven’t heard from him since.”

“One of you contact him when you get a minute; tell him to go straight to the hideout.”

“Yes sir.” The men echoed in unison, Jongin already turning back towards the quarters to fetch his unconscious fellow assassin. 

However it seemed like the alarm was the one thing in the universe that could efficiently rouse Jongdae from his slumber, as Jongin ran into him the next corridor down, looking sleep-ruffled yet alert. Upon spotting Jongin, he tapped into his earpiece with a grim smile.

“Let’s go.” 

Jongin nodded.

 

*

 

Kyungsoo grit his teeth as his eyes scanned over the various monitors, dark eyebrows furrowing as his face contorted into a glower. The extensive SWAT team were attempting to break into the building, but so far the combination of reinforced doors, a complex locking system and attacks from their security guards were holding them off. 

“They’re at bay for now, Suho.” D.O shouted over the alarm and echoing gunshots from the screens, eyes widening when he saw a new influx of Police vans pulling up at the open gates.

“They’ve bought reinforcements.” He informed his teammates, unable to stop himself from chewing on his full lower lip as the officers continued to spill into the premises. “There might be too many…” he murmured softly to himself, eye twitching as tendrils of anxiety began to twist in his stomach.

“They’ve definitely got a team of digital specialists out there with them; they’re trying to break into the system.” Minseok’s voice was wary but a little amused, and Kyungsoo could practically see him shaking his head condescendingly at the Police’s pathetic attempts at cyber terrorism.

“Just make sure they don’t slip past you, Xiu. We’ve got enough on our hands as it is.” Suho growled loudly. He sounded a little breathless, and Kyungsoo tore his eyes away from the image of the brawling men to track the leader’s location on an adjacent screen as he ran down to the floor where they kept all their firearms.

“Noted.”

The security guard alternated between watching the chaotic mass of clashing bodies in the darkness and Jongin, Jongdae, Chanyeol and Suho’s miniature army preparing to join the strife. 

“Suho, they’re now on all sides.” He warned.

“Christ they’re determined,” was Chanyeol’s scathing response.

The four members were gathered in a tightly-knit circle in the middle of the gun locker, but Kyungsoo could hear every whispered word down the live wire.

“Right, Chen, you’ll lead your team outside and cover the south and east sides of the grounds. Park, you take the north and west entrances and make sure that the outbuildings and warehouses are protected. The two of you need to herd the officers in. Kai, your guys’ will be stationed systematically inside, flanking the tunnels and internal entrances and exits as well as entryways into our holding and storage units. You will move out, and between the three of you, you will trap them. We need all sniper units equipped right away.” 

“Where are we placing them?” Jongin asked.

“Have them set up at windows and alcoves to cover all ground. Your personal unit, Jongin, will be on the roof, and Dae, I want yours on the outhouses and walls. As for you, Park, just this once, I will allow the use of your homemade ‘explosives’, but keep the attacks precise and contained. Minimal damage to the premises and supplies is crucial, understand?” 

The two hitmen nodded solemnly in understanding as a wicked grin spread itself across the red-head’s lips. He bowed in gratitude. When Suho gestured for them to get started, the three men rounded up their subordinates into the appropriate groups before sending them marching off around the department to equip themselves. They then promptly gathered their own kit- Chanyeol excusing himself momentarily to speedily make his way to the chemical weapons unit and grab his explosives- and informed the men of their stations and tactics.

Within five minutes, six organised teams stood ready and waiting, shrouded in black jackets and facemasks, guns and ammunition loaded into holsters. Suho smirked.

“I trust you’ve all been briefed.”

They murmured a confirmation in unison.

“Good. Then by all means, lead the way.” He signaled for the three team leaders to move out. 

Jongin, Jongdae and Chanyeol locked eyes in a silent encouraging gesture, determination hardening their gazes. Jongdae was the first to break away, leading his men down thin corridors flooded with violet light. Jongin and Chanyeol spared their leader one last grim nod of acknowledgement and respect before they took to their separate paths.

Suho exhaled heavily, the breathy noise drowned by the siren. He turned on his heel once the men were out of sight, his legs carrying him down towards the basement.

“Sehun? How is the escape plan looking?” 

 

*

 

Sehun sat on the plush couch in Minseok’s office, jean-clad legs spread to accommodate the laptop in between his thighs on the low-set coffee table. His face was set in its customary pinched expression as he simultaneously tapped away at the keyboard and muttered lowly into the microphone by his lips.

“Just ready up a truck…no, I don’t care which as long as it has sufficient petrol to get us to Yangsan...uh huh…right, well- oh hold on a second,” the teenager pursed his lips, tearing the headset off with a sigh as he tapped into his earpiece.

“Sorry Suho, what was that?”

He could just about make out the leader’s stressed groan over the shrill noise of the alarm in the background.

“I said, how is the escape plan going?” 

“Oh. Um, fine so far. I’ve got Hansol and Kun preparing transport whilst the police still remain at bay, and Taeyong is moving all our valuable stocks and supplies into the vault.” Sehun rubbed at his eyes wearily.

“Good. Have you drawn up a clear route yet?”

Minseok cleared his throat. “I’m on it. I’ve got a location on all police units currently active between us and Yangsan, and there are a few patrols stationed on primary roads that will need to be avoided at all costs, but I can see an alternative passage way through private roads and country lanes. I’ll draw up the course and have you check it over before we finalise any plans.” He interrupted, and Sehun whipped around to face him. 

The older boy was sat at his desk, nimble hands flying over the keys of his laptop as he scanned the police system for more information. The pale pink light that flooded the room due to the smart-switch, low energy bulbs of a lock down procedure cast deep shadows onto the older boy’s ethereal face, making him look more sculpted and mature than usual.

Minseok briefly glanced away from the screen when he felt Sehun’s unblinking stare bore into him, and he shot the sour-faced youngster a fleeting smile of encouragement before he turned back to the reports.

“Alright. I’ll be waiting on that.”

Minseok didn’t reply, too occupied with fighting off the legal hackers’ attempts to corrupt his network to manage a verbal response.

Sehun returned to his station too, yanking on the headset again.

“Right, have you located a van yet? Great, whilst you’re there be sure to pack another set of number plates…yeah…okay, good.” He pulled off the headset again to address the blonde.

“We have transport waiting and ready when we need it. It’s in bay twelve, west wing basement.” 

Minseok just nodded and said “I’ve sent you the file of our route. Have Taeyong put it into the car’s navigation system.” Although he said it so quietly that Sehun wouldn’t have been able to hear it were it not for the earpieces that picked up on his speech.

Sehun sat back into the cushions and tried to relax his tense muscles after transferring the file to Taeyong’s phone, his job complete. He lazily picked up the laptop Taeil had let him borrow to click on the tab that announced the arrival of the email, and he opened up the file attached to survey the map of South Korea with their route highlighted in red.

His dark eyebrows shot up in disbelief when he noted the time it would take for them to reach their base in the hills past Jwasam-Ri. 

“Two hours fifty three minutes?” He gaped at the figures. It usually only took thirty-two minutes.

A low chuckle had him shifting to glare at Minseok, whose lips were pulled into a humourless grin, his eyes never straying from the laptop.

“Got to be sure not to be intercepted by the bastards, Hunnie. It would be a waste of our efforts to be taken down at the last hurdle.” The blonde responded easily, as if their situation barely fazed him at all.

Sehun opened his mouth, a sarcastic retort bubbling in his throat when Minseok spoke up again.

“Since you’ve got nothing better to do, make yourself useful and start packing some food into a backpack. I can’t remember the last time we had the cupboards stocked in Jwasam, and I know you and the kids will cause chaos if I allow you to starve.”

The teenager scowled at the remark but complied. At least he would be able to grab himself a sneaky snack of some sort in the process; he hadn’t eaten since breakfast and his body was not thanking him, if his non-existent energy levels were anything to go by. 

He made a scene of stretching out his long limbs before shuffling out of the office. He hailed down the first guard he saw as he navigated the corridors up to their quarters. 

Sehun finally came before the door, his head pounding from the incessant alarm that he swore got louder as he ascended the floors. He punched in the code and all but fell into their living room, ordering the man to find a bag. 

The nameless male didn’t hesitate, running further into the apartment. Sehun bit back a groan of pain as his ears began ringing, but he managed to walk over to their kitchen, yanking open all the food cupboards and grabbing handfuls of sweet snacks and instant ramen. He gracelessly dumped them into the duffle bag that the subordinate returned with not seconds later. Sehun didn’t care to ask how he knew where to find it, too preoccupied with packing them a decent supply of food.

“Is it really necessary to keep the alarm on?” He spat as he returned to the basement, only now able to hear himself think. He dumped the bulging bag unceremoniously by the door to Minseok’s office when it slid shut behind him, stumbling over to the sofa he’d previously occupied.

“It’s fucking killing my head.” Minseok rolled his eyes as the teenager dramatically grasped at his dark strands with one hand, hoping to alleviate the painful throbbing of his skull whilst he slurped on his favourite sugary beverage that was cradled in the other.

“It’s part of the lockdown system, I’m afraid. It’s out of my control. The best I can do is shift the lighting into low-energy, and I’ve already done that.” Kyungsoo deadpanned in his ear. 

Sehun only scoffed. “Well it’s a shitty system. My ears have actually gone numb.”

“Not as shitty as your attitude.”

“Cut it out.” Minseok snapped.

“What’s happening in here?” Suho’s strict, motherly tone made Sehun gulp, and he glanced up to see their leader stood in the doorway, arms crossed and an unimpressed scowl on his face. He quickly put the bubble tea down on the coffee table, aware that he looked far too relaxed and comfortable amidst the chaos that enveloped them. 

“Nothing important.” The blonde hacker glared at the boy lounging on his sofa, who promptly flipped him off in annoyance. Suho sighed disappointedly. 

“Tell you what though, they are really keen to get inside our system. There are at least twenty of them trying to re-write the codes as we speak.”

The leader strode over to where Minseok sat, bracing his arms on the back of the blonde’s chair as he peered down at the commotion unfurling on his screen.

“Keep them busy. Any updates on the police scanner?”

Minseok tapped a few keys and the two of them glanced at the updated reports. Sehun watched impassively as Minseok’s face darkened and Suho muttered obscenities under his breath.

“Looks like we will have to abort our plan.” Minseok seethed as Suho pushed himself away to pace around the desk.

“How the fuck did they know about Jwasam?! Barely anyone lives in that area of those mountains!” Suho snarled. Sehun flinched, his gut dropping at his hyung’s cursing. Even in times of great stress, the older man tended to refrain from using bad language- a result of his upbringing- so it was unnerving to hear.

“Clearly they were tipped off.” Minseok murmured scathingly. 

The two shared a knowing look, their expressions ominous.

“The police have found our base?” Sehun asked, crawling up the sofa to perch on the armrest.

“Bases.” Minseok corrected angrily, his eyes dark and glittering murderously.

“They’ve completely surrounded them, and some have even been infiltrated. They’ve even seized our outlet establishments. This is getting out of control, Suho. They can compile all sorts of evidence against us with the contents in those buildings.” The blonde ran an agitated hand through his hair, sitting back.

Suho brushed off his comment with a wave of his hand. “That’s irrelevant at this point; they already have evidence against us, otherwise they wouldn’t have been able to conduct this raid. No, what we need to focus on is getting to a safe place as quickly as possible. Now the authorities know of this location, we won’t be able to use it again. We will have to have our supplies boxed up and start up again somewhere new. We will deal with the loose evidence and its sources at a later date.” He said, brows furrowed in thought as he voiced his thoughts out loud.

“Well, where else can we go?” Sehun stressed.

Minseok shook his head. “Nowhere at the moment. They’ve seized all of our hideouts, even the ones further north. We will have to find other options.” 

Suho continued to pace, his fingers steepling beneath his nose. Sehun tracked his movements warily.

“Uh guys?”

Suho was snapped out of his reverie by Jongdae’s shrill voice filtering down their earpieces. 

“They’ve managed to slip past. They’re in the building.” Kyungsoo informed them in place of the young assassin, and Sehun froze when he heard a sudden thundering of feet pounding on the ceiling. 

Suho cursed again. He instantly marched to the office door and opened it, barking out orders to the guards that were stationed outside.

“How did this happen?” He hissed as he moved back inside, running a hand over his face.

The line was quiet for a second before Jongdae answered breathlessly.

“Th-there’s too many of them, we couldn’t hold them back for long. Sorry, Suho.” He trailed off, his pants morphing into grunts of exertion as he fought off another attacker. 

Suho repressed a groan of frustration.

“It’s hardly your fault Chen.” He murmured into the static that had replaced Jongdae’s open line a second ago.

“Right.” He spun around to face Sehun. “You, go and help Jongin. We are going to need to increase security within the building. I want you stationed by our storage wing with the defence team.”

Sehun only managed to nod dumbly before he found himself fleeing the office, accompanied by the guards who’d waited outside for the boy’s guidance as per Suho’s request. On approach to the stairwell, he could hear the heavy footfalls and yells of the intruders, so he signalled for the men to prepare arms. 

He waited until the last second before swiftly side-stepping out of the target zone as the door flew open. The corridor suddenly became deafeningly loud as the guards opened fire, the officers who’d piled through the narrow entrance dropping like flies at the unexpected onslaught of bullets. Sehun regarded the scene with cold nonchalance, resisting the temptation to cover his ears childishly as the echoes of the fodder violently reverberated off of the walls. 

A few of the officers that had been the last to arrive at the scene finally caught on, using the doorway as cover as they took turns firing at the guards. But their reduced numbers had left them vulnerable, and Sehun wasted no time in exploiting their weaknesses. He motioned for the remaining guards to move forward, all gunfire ceasing within seconds. Sehun moved past the bodies towards the staircase, grimacing as he stepped in a pool of blood.

He led the men up the levels, instructing them to break off into smaller groups as they reached the floor that held their storage units. Sehun soon came before the major holding vaults, where they kept their most valuable products and imported weapons. He wasn’t overly surprised to already see guards stationed there, knowing that Suho had probably issued the unit as soon as the attack started, and he took the liberty of idly checking the security of the items with the team.

Once reassured that all their stock was present and accounted for, he stood attentively with the rest of the men, keeping an unwavering eye fixed on the door on the other side of the room as gunshots and shouting resonated from the distance.

He rocked gently on his heels with impatience, frowning as the muffled noises moved further away; his instinct was telling him to go and hunt out the prey instead of uselessly waiting for it to stumble upon his station. He was just about to voice this complaint when Suho’s terse voice trickled into his ear. 

“Boys, I know this may not be the ideal time to be switching strategies, but listen up, because what I’m about to tell you is of paramount importance and I won’t be repeating myself, clear?”

Sehun narrowed his eyes as his brain fumbled to understand what the older man was saying, before he realised that the foreign syllables flowing off his tongue were in fact Japanese. He internally cursed himself for not paying more attention to Jongdae when the older boy tried to tutor him in the language. The leader waited until every man had confirmed their attention before continuing.

“Xiumin has used the open server to book up a motel for us to ‘reside in’ for two nights. Meanwhile, we will be living in the apartment where we will stay until we set up a new residence of business. We will be leaving in exactly 15 minutes from the western wing warehouse 15, parking bay 12. Don’t be late.”

Suho signed off immediately, and it was only then that Sehun picked up on the headache his concentration-fuelled squinting had evoked. But he was quick to dismiss the discomfort; he had been able to understand every word, despite his renowned hopelessness for learning foreign languages, and all he could focus on was formulating a quick course to the parking bays without drawing the attention of any officers. 

‘The apartment’ was code for Suho’s old family mansion, situated in the heart of the Haeunde district in the city. It wouldn’t take them more than fifteen minutes to complete the journey, and due to Minseok’s fastidious work, the police had yet to realise that the Kim family that owned the house and the Kim family that had always ran an extensive criminal network beneath their noses were in fact one and the same. Although seeing as they’d all but abandoned the aforementioned building a decade ago, it was hardly surprising, Sehun mused as he glanced down at his watch.  
He had 13 minutes to get his arse down to the bays, and usually that would be a simple feat if it weren’t for the barricade of police officers he knew would be planted in-between him and his goal. He grimaced as he thought of Chanyeol, Jongdae and Jongin; how they were going to be able to evade the officers on their heels long enough to slip away and reach the van in time and unaccompanied was beyond him. 

Pursing his lips, Sehun mentally mapped out his route to the parking bays found in warehouse 15. Several of the unavoidable stairwells would definitely be infested with the intruders, and the boy’s lips tugged upwards in a predatory smirk. Finally, he would get to test out the new moves Minseok had taught him in their weekly martial arts sessions.

Nonetheless, he ordered one of the guards to hand him their weapons. He leisurely tossed the machine gun over in his hands to get a feel of the handling, rolling his eyes as some of the men took a few tentative steps backwards. Satisfied with the load, he slung it over his shoulder, simultaneously sliding a pistol into his boot.

The dark-haired teenager cracked his knuckles and cricked his neck, sighing contentedly as the pressure released from the joints. He yanked open the door, grinning at the helmet-clad mass of policemen he came face to face with.  
“Suho? I’m on my way.”

 

*

 

Kyungsoo watched worriedly as one of the many stampedes of raid officers inside the threshold barrelled towards Jongin’s location, the man oblivious to the oncoming attack as he sauntered down the darkened corridors leading away from the rooftop. Although the doe-eyed male knew he didn’t have to worry for Jongin’s safety- the taught line of his jaw and fluidness of his body speaking volumes of the brunette’s heightened levels of awareness - he warned the other of the impending swarm.

“Kai-ah, there’s a group of thirty officers approaching from the eastern halls. Fully armed.”

He saw how the male’s form relaxed a fraction at the sound of his voice, but he couldn’t preen for long- his fear for everybody’s wellbeing drowning all other emotion in an inky black sea of stress. 

“Thank you, Soo.”

The honeyed timbre of the younger’s voice put him at ease for a split second, and he watched in silence as the assassin pulled open a door to his left and slipped inside, locking it after him. The group of officers rounded the corner to the hallway Jongin had occupied a few heartbeats earlier, and luckily thought little of the doorway, running right past it at speed.

Kyungsoo still had eyes on Jongin, and watched intently as he moved around the dark closet, feeling along a wall until his fingertips made contact with the keypad he knew was there. “8EY7300” Kyungsoo supplied helpfully. He could hear the small huff of amusement that left the other’s lips.

Seconds later, the hidden door revealed itself with a quiet hiss as the brunette pushed through it. He quickly descended down the staircase that followed, weaving his way through the dark tunnels with Kyungsoo’s expert guidance until he reached the end. 

“The corridor beyond is clear.” The security guard informed curtly, his eyes flicking over the video feeds of the floor for any immediate threats. Luckily, the officers were occupied elsewhere, and he reported as such down the earpiece.

“Your path down to the weapons department is clear,” - Jongin’s destination had been obvious to him from the start.

Jongin thanked him quietly, running into the arms unit without disruption. He hastily re-kitted himself with what little he could find before demanding the location of the brawl.

“It’s in the western wing, by the meeting rooms. But I should warn you that they keep on replenishing the numbers.”

Jongin cocked his gun, directing a confident smirk at the nearest camera. His face was playful, but his eyes were dark and glittered dangerously.

“Not for long.”

Kyungsoo didn’t reply, but soon after discovered- not for the first time- that the younger’s self-assured attitude was utterly justified as he bemusedly watched the brunette snuff out his cigarette on the protective vest of the deceased officer he sat upon. 

Jongin didn’t waste time lighting another one, inhaling deeply and blowing out a cloud of wispy smoke as he relaxed for a few moments.

Kyungsoo’s eye twitched, torn between berating the younger for taking a break whilst the police continued to try and subdue them from the inside out or continuing to stare at Jongin’s adams apple which bobbed deliciously every time he pulled in a mouthful of toxin-infused vapour. Then there was the issue with his face; as perfectly sculpted and devilishly handsome as always, only with the added bonus of sweat. The clear droplets pooled on his dark skin and matted his darkened strands to his forehead in a manner that should be unattractive, yet was anything but. 

Combined with the busted lip and bloodied temple he’d accumulated not five minutes before, he looked every part the hot psychopath that were only too common in Baekhyun’s cherished TV dramas.

After a few seconds of careful deliberation, he chose the former.

“Those things will kill you one day, you know.”

Jongin chuckled, his head lolling back to let more smoke rise in curling tendrils from between his perfect teeth.

“That would be ironic.” He murmured, patting the bloodied chest of the officer beneath him.

Kyungsoo snorted as the younger appraised his own handiwork. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t slightly impressed by the other’s performance; his agility and impeccable aim resulting in a swift but brutal massacre. However, the storage hall in which Jongin was currently resting wasn’t as akin to a bloodbath as one would suspect given the high corpse count within the vicinity. 

The walls were pristine, and the floor was a shiny as Taeyong had left it earlier that day. In fact, the only anomaly in the entire room was the large, neatly-stacked pile of cooling bodies upon which Jongin was perched like a throne.

“It certainly would. Now use that eager trigger-finger of yours to clear out the middle floors so we can access the parking bay. We only have 9 minutes.” He ordered.

“But I’m almost out of ammo.” Jongin pouted as he stared down the barrel of his pistol in mock despair. The older boy tried not to notice how his cheekbones became sharper in the shadowy red light of the room.

Kyungsoo sighed wearily. “We both know you don’t need bullets to kill, so stop whining and shift.” 

“Fine, fi-“

“Everybody get off the line.”

The security guard frowned as Minseok’s harried voice interrupted Jongin. He watched as said man straightened up in an instant, his half-burnt cigarette falling from his fingers.

“I’m sorry?” Kyungsoo interjected calmly. 

“We need to shut down this feed right now.” Suho commanded.

“What? Why? You said so yourself-our network is one of the most secure in the country, surely they can’t-“

“Goddamn it Park, just do as I say for once! They can trace our locations through the connection. Sign off, now!” Minseok 

“Wait, wait, I haven’t seen Byun enter the grounds at all yet. Has anyone been able to contact him?” Kyungsoo cut in.

A stream of slurs flew down the line.

“Maybe someone should call him?” Jongdae suggested through laboured breaths. Kyungsoo could just about make him out in the night, him pinning down two officers with his small but sturdy frame, using his legs to trap them in as he aimed a lethal blow at their necks.

“We haven’t got time-“

“No! Please, Xiu, just give me two minutes to call him.” Chanyeol begged, his voice tight.

The older boy groaned in frustration.

“I’ll give you a minute, Park, then I’m severing all network connections to and from the area.”

 

*

 

Chanyeol barely took the time to thank his hyung before he signed off, excusing himself from the violent scene with a parting gift; a live chemical bomb being thrown into the raucous crowd. He takes a second to praise his craftsmanship as several men flew into the air, the loud explosion making his ears ring uncomfortably.

The giant then snuck off into the darkness, throwing cautionary glances over his shoulder every few seconds in between punching Baekhyun’s number into his disposable flip phone. He listened agitatedly as the dial tone rang out, his blood pressure rising exponentially as his mind supplied him with a range of unwanted scenarios of the reason for Baekhyun’s disappearance. 

Maybe he’d already been arrested, locked away for his crimes that would surely land him with the death penalty, or perhaps he’d been kidnapped and taken hostage by a rival gang. He was alone, after all, and there had been an unusual surge of criminal activity in the area lately. Then there also was the chance that he’d been shot down by the police, or another gang, oh god-

The obnoxious voice of the automated service provider announcing that Baekhyun was ‘unavailable right now’ snapped him back to reality, and he threw the phone away from his ear, disturbed by the mental image of his lover laying on a nondescript stretch of tarmac, eyes glassy and unseeing as thick, red liquid seeped out from beneath his unresponsive body. 

Chanyeol ran his hands through his tangled locks, breathing heavily through his nose in a vain attempt to calm his erratic heartbeat. He was being ridiculous, and he knew it. Baekhyun was probably just hiding somewhere. Yes, knowing him, he would’ve caught wind of their arrest warrant and was probably staying low to avoid further complications. Slowly, Chanyeol opened his eyes. He could only hope because as it was, he only had a few seconds left before Minseok closed the network. He cursed himself for letting his feelings hinder his ability to think rationally.  
Scrambling to his feet, he hastily picked up the discarded phone and dialled again, this time opting to leave a message when he was inevitably directed to the elder’s voicemail. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, an officer rounded the corner. He tried to make himself as small as possible, but his movement caught the man’s eye, and the man shouted as he ran towards his hiding spot. Muttering obscenities, Chanyeol rose and prepared himself for the scuffle, still maintaining his grip on the phone.

“Baek, where are you - ugh!” He grunted loudly as he blocked the first strike, the metal baton connecting painfully with his arm. He retaliated in kind with a forceful kick to the officer’s shins, satisfied when the man’s legs gave way underneath him.

“Whatever you do, don’t set a foot on the premises, okay? Promise me you’ll run. It’s the police - oh for fucks sake-“The man had struggled to his feet and lunged at him again, this time swinging at his head. Chanyeol stepped backwards just in time, but wasn’t stealthy enough to dodge all of his attacks, hissing as his ribs and temple took a blow.

“Hah! - I don’t know how, or who o-or what, look - just… just run! Don’t worry about us, we’ll be fine, and we’ll be counting on you, so get out of the city!” He continued to ramble on distractedly as he blocked the officer’s strikes, finally catching him off guard after aiming his elbow into the man’s chest at speed. He used the second-long window of time this provided him with to pull out his pistol from his boot with his free hand, aim it at the officer’s stomach and pull the trigger twice. 

The bullets cut through the man’s vest like butter, and Chanyeol couldn’t suppress his groan of relief when his assailant slumped to the ground, spasming in pain as he slowly lost consciousness. 

Panting heavily, Chanyeol pressed the phone to his ear, his heart sinking as he heard white noise drone down the receiver. Fucking Minseok and his shitty timing, he thought bitterly. He carelessly threw the phone onto the ground, ripping out his earpiece and dropping it beside the useless device before stomping down on them with the heel of his boot. The metal made a satisfying crunching noise as he ground them into the tarmac, releasing all his pent-up confusion, worry and frustration. 

Once he deemed the technology suitably unrepairable, he stared down at the shards angrily, gritting his teeth hard. He kicked them about childishly, clenching and unclenching his fists as he whispered to the sky.

“You better be safe, Baek. Goddamn you.”

 

*

 

Baekhyun’s lungs felt like they were about to burst as he ran up the dark road that led to the derelict industrial park-turned-headquarters. He could hear the sirens from a good mile or so away, but now that he’d sprinted closer he could also make out echoing yells and crossfire that accompanied the electronic wailing and flashing lights in the still, crisp air. 

Exhausted, sweaty and high on adrenaline, the man stuck to the shadows as he approached, hyper aware of the police officers he could see standing guard by the entrance, large dogs attentively sitting by some of the uniformed men’s sides. He swallowed down a lump of fear that lodged its way into his throat as he gave the site a wide berth, scanning the walls for a hole in the intruders’ security formation. 

After waiting a few minutes to analyse the police officers’ movements, he finally spotted a potential point of entry over the wall, grimacing as he eyed the barbed wire adorning the top. It wasn’t like he had any other choice; the police officers were patrolling systematically with sixteen men at each mile-long wall. Luckily, there were some stretches left unattended, and with a distraction, it wouldn’t be too much of a challenge to slip past them unnoticed. Baekhyun’s main concern was what he was going to meet once in the threshold; their base was large – covering several square miles overall- but the sheer number of police cars piled up outside the disintegrated gate had him certain that it wouldn’t take him long to bump into one.

The dark-haired man ran his hands down his face as he carefully calculated his next move. Reaching into his pocket, he thanked his lucky stars when his fingers closed around the cool metal of his mobile phone. Baekhyun knew he didn’t have the luxury of wasting time, so he hastily pried off the protective cover on the back of the device, hissing when he broke a few nails in the process. Shoving the thin metal into his pocket, his eyes glinted dangerously as they fell upon the small deposits of acetylene Chanyeol had installed into the PCB board two months ago. He quickly pressed down on the small chips on their surfaces, activating the explosive substance within before slapping the case back on top and throwing the phone towards the complex. 

He then started running, seeking cover within the hollowed out earth on the shallow slope and hugging his body close to himself as he mentally counted down the seconds.

He was rewarded with an extraordinarily loud explosion, smoke and fire billowing up into the clear sky when the timer cut out. Despite him being several hundred metres away from the device, he still had to duck his face into his knees to cover his face as small fragments of rock and dust were thrown his way, assaulting his eyes and nose. 

He did his best to choke down a cough as his senses came back to him. Peeking over the summit, he could see that the majority of guards had abandoned their previous stations in favour of investigating the unexpected detonation. As the ringing in his ears began to decrease, it was replaced by the head-splitting cacophony of the rough barking of Alsatians, frantic hollering and shrill car alarms.

Dazed yet determined, Baekhyun hauled himself up on unsteady legs, breaking into sprint whilst the officers were occupied and scaling the wall with practised ease. He had to bite back small whimpers of pain as the sharp edges of wire cut into his bare face and hands, but he persevered, and after ensuring that the immediate vicinity was clear, he threw himself off the top, bracing his body for the sharp impact to come by tucking his limbs into a tight ball.

Years of refining his instinct served him well as he rolled out of his fall with minimal pain, although he was finally beginning to feel the effects of the impromptu marathon. His limbs ached mercilessly as he pushed himself up off the ground, dusting himself off with a grimace as the rough fabric of his coat rubbed against the small wounds on his palms. 

His surroundings were shrouded in darkness, but Baekhyun was familiar enough with the area to know that he currently stood in the alleyway behind their old storage warehouses to the east of the site. Having abandoned these buildings years ago, the place was desolate, and the man took a few seconds to catch his breath in peace. He could still hear the commotion in the distance.

No matter what, he wasn’t going to get involved. Chanyeol had a similar mind-set to him, and thus he knew that at this point, any physical interference wouldn’t be of any use. Not that I’m going to run away either…I just need to stay out of sight and help them take the pigs down with a less obtrusive strategy.

But in order gauge their position and to plan said strategy, he knew he would have to get a little closer to the action to scope the scene, so he set off down the narrow path, the darkness doing little to affect his sense of direction.  
Baekhyun knew he was almost close enough when he was actually able to understand the previously-unintelligible shouts of his friends, his heart stuttering in panic when he heard a pained yelp that undoubtedly fell from the lips of a certain red haired compatriot.   
Chanyeol-ah. Just hold on a little longer…

He silently snuck around the warehouse that was blocking his view of the fight, ducking back when two struggling men fell into his line of sight. The duo didn’t notice his shadowed form, too preoccupied to be aware of the voyeur, so he cautiously proceeded to edge closer to the corner.  
He hadn’t realised that he’d been holding his breath until all the contained air rushed out of his aching lungs out of shock, his eyes widening a fraction at the carnage that greeted him. 

Baekhyun was far from naïve; he’d known to expect violence, and maybe a considerable amount of death, but he couldn’t say that he was prepared to face the carnage that was unfurling before his eyes. 

Dozens of bodies decorated the tarmac, haphazardly sprawled upon a sea of blood that glistened serenely in the floodlights. The stillness of the dead starkly juxtaposed the chaos ensuing in their midst, and Baekhyun felt chills tickle up his spine as his gaze finally fell upon the one he’d been the most afraid of losing.

Chanyeol’s stature stood taller than the others, his red hair framing his dirtied features in a way that would have the shorter male’s mouth watering in any other situation. However all Baekhyun could do was silently root for the younger’s safety as he fought a group of armed men. As much as he wanted to go and help the giant, he knew that their chances of a successful escape relied upon information. Information that only somebody in his position and with his experience could acquire, so it was with a guilty heart that he slipped back into the alleyway.

He ran a shaking hand through his hair. Their predicament was a lot worse than he’d thought. The police had clearly been provided with incriminating evidence of their activities, and Baekhyun had no doubts that unless they fled from the area soon, they would be behind bars by sunrise with capital punishment very much on the cards. The thought made his blood run cold. He didn’t want to die, at least not in the hands of the authorities; the very same bastards who’d had sneered at his existence since the day he was born. 

The uprising resentment did marvels to his energy levels, and the man turned to the wall of the warehouse with a smirk lifting his lips as he assessed the climb that awaited him.

You won’t be taking away my family. Not this time.

 

*

 

Minseok checked his watch as he walked down yet another identical stretch of tunnel, blanching when a drop of musty water from the ceiling made contact with his cheek. They only had 8 minutes left until they kicked up the engine and left the threshold - and the bedlam within it - behind.   
Beside him, Suho marched on. Sparing the younger male a glance through the corner of his eye, Minseok worried over the terse lines drawing in the leader’s thick brows and the chapped lips that were currently in the process of being gnawed upon. A heavy silence hung between them. The hacker couldn’t help but feel claustrophobic, despite the spaciousness of the tunnel and the damp breeze that cooled the sweat on his skin and tousled his fringe. Anxiety wriggled its way through his gut, coming to a stop at the back of his throat in the form of an uncomfortable lump. 

Once Minseok had closed down the network, they’d lost contact with the others, and after five minutes of agitated pacing that consisted of Suho growling about their lack of preparedness in emergency situations, Minseok had to talk him into seeing sense; there was no use dwelling on their faults.

“We need to make sure we are at the bay on time.” He’d said softly, barely supressing a flinch when Suho turned his blazing eyes on him.

So here they were, a sketchily-drawn map of underground tunnels from memory and a bag of supplies later, striding down the most foul-smelling passage Minseok had ever set foot in, the only audible sounds being their echoing footsteps and heavy breaths.

“Suho?”

Minseok didn’t turn his head to face the younger man even as he felt the other’s eyes swivel around to address him questioningly.

“What happens if somebody doesn’t make it to the van in time?”

Suho inhaled sharply.

“That won’t happen. Everyone will be there, we will drive off, and everything will be fine.” He snapped.

Minseok sighed in exasperation. Sometimes Suho needed to buckle up and consider every possibility instead of desperately clinging onto the hope of a good outcome. It was the character flaw Minseok hated the most about the leader.

“But what if-“

“Then we will wait for them.”

“But that could compromise our entire plan! Suho, we set a time limit for a reason.” He argued, face heating up as it always did when he felt bothered.

“I don’t care-“

“Suho, we can’t afford to act rashly right now. If we don’t leave soon, we will have very little chance of a clean escape-“

“I won’t leave anyone behind!”

Minseok’s mouth snapped shut in shock.

“Do you hear me? As leader, I will not abandon any of you, especially not tonight. We will leave together or not at all Minseok, is that clear?”

The hacker nodded, dumbfounded. Suho rarely raised his voice at him, even when they argued. Minseok suspected this was probably due to his slightly elevated status with regards to age and ability. Usually, it would anger him to be spoken to in such a manner, but deep down he couldn’t find fault with Suho’s words; the eight of them were a family, and he knew that he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he knowingly left one of the members in the unmerciful clutches of the law. That being said, there was still one gaping hole in their scheme.

“What do we do about Baekhyun then? Nobody has seen him since earlier this evening. Do we leave even if he’s not there?”

Suho’s determined form visibly crumbled at the mention of the man, his eyes squeezing shut as if the subject was a dilemma he’d been deliberating over for some time. 

“If he’s not there, we leave anyway, and we will try to contact him the second we get back into range.” He mumbled, running a hand through his greasy hair in frustration. Minseok remained mute, letting the dull thudding of their footfalls fill up the silence between them.

As the minutes passed, they slowly approached the end of the tunnel, which quickly became apparent to them as the distant sounds of clamouring began to impregnate the stale air. Suho was the first to break the ice as the exit came into view.

“We will win this fight. Then we will find onto the damn sons of bitches that got us into this mess and end their sorry lives.” He snarled.

Minseok chuckled airily, tapping in the key code to the door with one hand as he cocked his gun in the other.

“I don’t envy them.”

 

*

 

Baekhyun breathed shallowly from his hideout, the loud thumping of his heart almost enough to drown out the voices of the policemen below. Luckily for him, the night was crisp and still; perfect conditions for his sharp ears to pick up on the snippets of conversation that drifted up into the inky abyss. 

“Anything?”

“Uh, no sir. The scanner is unable to trace any other forms of communication on their network. In fact, it can’t pick up any form of activity whatsoever for quite a few kilometres. I believe they’ve disbanded the entire network.”

The spy frowned. Minseok had shut off the system? That procedure was only to be implemented if there was a level 3 breach or higher. He had to bite down on his lip to stop the profanities bubbling in his throat from tumbling out because that meant that the police had managed to break past their security codes and firewalls and access all their files, and god only knew how much incriminating documents they had stored in there. Hopefully, if Minseok had been quick enough, the police wouldn’t have had time to rummage around and save any evidence of their associations and activities to use against them.

“They cut off all connection to the outside world?”

Baekhyun shuffled himself closer to the edge, tentatively peering over to get a glimpse of the men and women standing a dozen metres below. He quickly counted nine heads, all of which were adorned with police hats except for one. The woman was balancing a laptop on the roof a police car, her face illuminated in deep red and blue hues by the siren lights. She continued to speak to the group, and judging by her rapid fire technical language and smug aura, she was the ethnical hacker who’d forced his members into digital isolation. The spy’s fingers twitched with agitation, but he repressed the urge to reach for his gun in favour of ducking back and listening in on their musings.

“What does that mean for us?”

“Essentially, we cannot retrieve any of their documents, files or online accounts.” 

“So we’ve lost all the evidence?”

“Yes.”

A chorus of groans arose from the police officers.

“But it’s not all bad news. Internal power is still up and running, and I’m willing to bet they’ve got extensive CCTV coverage within that building -if not in all their establishments- all of which I can gain access to without their knowledge.”  
Baekhyun’s blood froze.

“You can hack into it from here?”

“Of course.”

One of the police officers nodded. The spy assumed he was the leading officer of the unit as he nodded to the woman.

“Do it. If we can target their locations quicker, it would shorten this whole ordeal.”

Silence fell upon the group as the ethical hacker tapped away on her keyboard. After a minute of nervous coughs and shifting feet, the woman spoke up.

“We’re in.”

“Fuck.” Baekhyun breathed.

The group gathered around the laptop to get a look at the screen.

“That’s…a lot of feeds.”

The hacker hummed. 

“I’ve located the suspected leader of the organisation. One ‘Suho’, real name unknown as of right now. He’s in warehouse 15 with another male.”

“Sounds Japanese to me.”

“We don’t know any of their true identities, but we’re working on it. Having this footage of them should help.”

“Should we send men in?”

“Our boys are already in there by the looks of things.” A young male piped up, gesturing to the screen. 

“But it looks like they will need back up.” A pause. “Send another team in. If we can get our hands on the leader, the rest of them shouldn’t be far behind.”

Baekhyun scoffed quietly. ‘Yeah. Good luck with that.’

He pushed himself up on unsteady arms and quietly snuck away from the edge, using his superior altitude to survey the grounds. Warehouse 15 was blocked by the cloud of battling men that Baekhyun had no desire to jump into. That same cloud effectively minimalised his chances of entry to warehouses 4 through to 28 and the western wing of the building. He ran a hand through his sweat-slicked fringe, swiftly picking out and memorizing all the available routes.

As soon as his shoes made contact with the cold tarmac on the ground, he set off running. One thing was absolutely clear; he had to find a way into the basement and turn off all of the internal power, because the police had now gained the upper hand now they had eyes on the whereabouts of his friends, and that wasn’t acceptable. 

After ten minutes and several close encounters with stray officers, the spy came before a rusting door- a long-since abandoned entrance to the stairwell. Glancing around to make sure the coast was clear, he began throwing his lithe frame at the door, the years of neglect and poor weather conditions having welded it to the frame. He finally managed to burst through it, coughing as a cloud of displaced dust flew into his face whilst shielding his eyes away from the harsh lighting. Batting the motes away, he was simultaneously relieved and surprised to find the stairwell empty. He briefly entertained the idea of throwing himself down the gap in the stairway Jongdae-style, but he knew that he didn’t currently possess the energy to pull of such a stunt. But he quickly came to regret his decision as he stopped in front of the doorway to the basement levels, panting and even sweatier than before.

Baekhyun didn’t waste time in inputting the pin and soon came before the fuse room. He was no technological whizz like Minseok or Kyungsoo, but he was able to pick out the correct switches in a matter of seconds. He mentally prayed to the small security guard for forgiveness before flicking them down. He ran back out into the corridor, seeking out the first camera he could find and grinning when he saw that there was no longer a small red light glowing in the centre of it, confirming a job well done.

He didn’t have long to spend congratulating himself however, as he heard the entry way to the corridor bang open around the corner. Baekhyun quickly sought cover in a darkened corner behind a series of pipes lining the walls, not daring to breathe as the loud group moved closer to his hiding place. 

The men moved briskly past his form, whispering amongst themselves, and he waited for the footsteps to fade away before taking off down the hallway the intruders’ had occupied not seconds ago.

 

*

 

Kyungsoo cursed as he stared disbelievingly at his expression reflected in the black screens. His hands automatically flew up to his controls, desperately twiddling with switches and tapping at various keyboards in hope of the monitor returning to life. It quickly became apparent that his overrides weren’t going to help, and his language became even more colourful as the reality dawned on him; somebody had disabled the cameras from the control room. 

Slamming his hands down on the keyboard, he scowled at his reflection. Any attempt to reboot the system from the room would be futile, and he knew it. With only five minutes left to reach the van, he humourlessly considered that this may have been God’s peculiar way of telling him to get a move on. If only he believed in such a thing.

Either way, Kyungsoo knew it would be pointless to sit in the dark room and stare at the lifeless monitors. 

Having kept an eye on the others the entire time, he knew that Minseok and Suho were the closest to their meeting point, but that they were currently engaged in a skirmish with a rather sizable unit of officers that were roaming the warehouses. He cursed himself; maybe if he had spent less time focussing on the fighting, he would’ve noticed the culprit skulking around on the lower levels.

Kyungsoo heaved a sigh, his neck feeling stiff and his shoulders heavy from his tedious day, but he supposed it was only going to become even more arduous. He hadn’t devised any sort of strategy for avoiding the units swarming in around the building, but he supposed he didn’t have any other choice than to wing it at this point.

With a great deal of effort, the guard hauled himself out of the comfortable chair, barely bothering to stretch out all the cricks in his spine in his haste to open up the concealed gun cupboard behind a bookcase. He selected his three favourite pistols and trusty throwing knife (that Jongin had lovingly presented to him on his birthday last year) and stuffed his jacket and trouser pockets full of ammunition before leaving his sanctuary. 

He threw caution to the wind, opening the door with little concern for what lay beyond, but there was no doubt in his mind as to where he was heading. Luckily the immediate corridor was clear, but he only managed to get as far as the lobby to the meeting room before being intercepted by a bulky looking man, eyes glinting maliciously from beneath the tinted visor of his helmet. 

Managing to quickly sneak a peek over the tall officer’s shoulder, his eyes immediately fell upon his target: Jongin. 

The assassin had been in the centre of a particularly violent hand-to-hand combat with a female officer when the cameras had shut off. He’d clearly been the more formidable contestant in that match, as Kyungsoo could now see he’d moved onto a pair of males, his damp fringe hanging low in his eyes, low grunts tumbling from his bloodied lips as he disarmed one of them. The security guard’s view was then blocked by the briefly-forgotten officer, who had, in his mental absence, pulled out his gun and had it aimed in-between his eyes.

“Who do we have here?”

Kyungsoo grinned, his eyes locked steadily with his assailant’s. Taking a deep breath, he cockily stepped forward, allowing the cool tip of the barrel to kiss his forehead. He took satisfaction at the shocked look that morphed the stranger’s face, taking advantage of the split second of vulnerability to brandish his own pistol and pull the trigger.

The officer slumped to the floor, expression now fixed permanently onto his features. Kyungsoo didn’t have the chance to glance up before a large unit closed in on him, weapons in hand. The shorter male frowned; he wasn’t exactly the most skilled fighter out of their group, and a swift glance at the clock on the wall warned him of his limited stalling time. Holding his gun protectively in front of his body, he directed a glare at each officer. He noticed with a surge of relief that the officer’s weren’t equipped with firearms, but their range of batons and shields were still enough to put up a good fight and he knew it. 

He finally took the chance to straighten the crick in his neck, huffing a dry laugh when one of the men winced at the sound. 

“You are under arrest. Surrender now and we won’t have to use force.” One stepped towards him, his voice deep and calm. Kyungsoo squinted, examining the man. He was average height, well-built and stared back at him, eyes emotionless: he was clearly a leader of sorts amongst these people. 

The guard snorted. God how he hated authoritative figures.

“As tempting as that sounds, I’m going to have to decline your kind offer.”

An officer behind him scoffed. The leader held up his hand in warning to the other.

“Young man, don’t make this difficult. You’ll be coming with us either way by the end of the night so I suggest you make this easy on yourself.”

Kyungsoo turned off the safety on his pistol and lifted his arm, pointing it at the officer’s head.

“Suit yourself.” He nodded to his subordinates.

“Arrest him.”

 

*

 

Sehun gasped as fragments of broken china slashed at his palms. He shoved the heavy body off of his own and picked himself up from the dirtied floor, groaning as another body crashed into his, sending him toppling over again although this time it was alive and struggling.  
Keeping a firm grasp on the officer’s wrists to hinder his attacks, the teenager managed to flip them around so that the other man was the one with his back pressed down into the shattered crockery that littered the floor. Straddling the officer between his strong thighs, he subdued his attempts to gain the upper hand. 

A few tense minutes were spent in a similar fashion- the two twisting and snarling and using a plethora of underhand techniques to maim each other- until the teenager was provided with an opening and snapped the officer’s neck in one swift motion.

Much like before, he roughly tossed the officer’s corpse off of his own frame in disgust, getting to his feet just in time for another unit to burst through the doors of the destroyed dining room. 

Sehun had a curse ready on the tip of his tongue, but it was quickly forgotten about as a glass panel in the wall across the room suddenly exploded. He instinctively raised his arms to cover his face as the shards cut through the air. He only began to lower them once the commotion died down and saw that the unit had been sufficiently disabled by the sudden disruption, but his glee immediately spiralled down into concern as he realised the cause of the destruction; Kyungsoo lay motionless on the floor, out cold and looking more worse for wear than Sehun had ever seen.   
The teenager engaged his shock-stilled brain and began to make his way over to his hyung, grimacing as chips of glass and tableware crunched noisily beneath the sole of his shoe, seeming too loud in the sudden eerie tranquility that had fallen upon the room.

He knelt down besides the man, weary of the debris surrounding the still form. As he reached out to shake Kyungsoo awake, the door burst open to reveal Jongin, sporting even more bruises than his lover. He’d clearly witnessed the event from the other side of the wall if the frantic look in his eyes was anything to go by.

“Kyungsoo!” Jongin ran over and hastily dropped to his knees, pawing at the elder’s limp frame agitatedly. He gently manoeuvred Kyungsoo so that his head lay on his lap and smoothed his dark fringe away from his sweaty forehead in time to see dark eyes flutter open.

“Kyungsoo!” He whispered in relief.

Sehun watched silently as Kyungsoo slowly drifted back to consciousness, a divet forming between his brows as he tried to make sense of his position. Jongin continued to fuss over him much to Kyungsoo’s irritation, his small grumbles of discontent apparently going unheard by the younger man.

Just as Kyungsoo made the effort to haul himself upright, he was knocked straight back down with a pained cry. Sehun, still on his knees, turned his head to see a couple of officers cautiously approach the trio, guns at the ready. He felt something wet begin to saturate the knees of his jeans and he looked down to see thick, red liquid seeping out from beneath Kyungsoo’s trembling shoulder. 

Jongin reacted instantly, sitting his lover up and moving Kyungsoo’s hand to apply pressure against the entrance wound whilst he pressed his own against the exit wound, not paying the intruders any attention. The colour was beginning to drain from Kyungsoo’s face, but Jongin wasn’t going to allow him to admit defeat.

“It’s only a shoulder wound, you’re going to be fine, do you hear me?” Kyungsoo nodded weakly against his shoulder, his body slumping against the other.

“No, no, no, no, Kyungsoo- stay with me now, okay?”

“Okay…” He rasped out quietly- like hell he was going to be taken out by a bullet to the shoulder of all things.

“Nobody move!” A female voice sliced through the tension in the air, but Sehun noticed that she hadn’t moved any closer, obviously wary of the unexpectedly intimate scene.

Jongin snarled, but Kyungsoo reached up to cradle his face, silencing him. Their eyes met briefly, but Sehun knew a whole database of information had been exchanged between the two in that split second. He didn’t give anything away to the officers, remaining motionless as Kyungsoo nimbly slipped out the throwing knife he’d stashed in his pocket and pressed it into Jongin’s free hand. The assassin’s broad back shielded the action from view of the two officers, and they stood by, oblivious to the scheming couple’s plan. 

Without warning, Jongin whirled around and launched the knife. To her credit, the woman had incredible reflexes, Sehun thought, as she ducked just in time for the knife to cartwheel over her helmet. Her colleague was less well-endowed in the reflex department it would seem, and was quickly taken down when the blade sliced through his visor and lodged itself in his eye socket.

“Back up, I request instant back up!” The remaining officer hissed into her radio before resuming her previous stance. 

Jongin snorted. “Silly little lady. Did no-one think to tell you that all the com-systems were shut down? You’re alone.” The officer didn’t respond, but Sehun could see her frown beneath her visor.

“Sehun, would you?” Jongin gestured to her as he began to gather Kyungsoo up in his arms. The injured male whimpered softly as he was lifted from the ground.

Sehun nodded, and Jongin shot him a grateful smile. On the way out, the assassin crouched down to retrieve Kyungsoo’s knife, wiping the blade on his trousers as the two disappeared through the open doorway. The female officer watched, rooted on the spot in shock. Her fingers were trembling where they were squeezing the trigger, and Sehun almost felt pity for her; she must be a rookie on her first mission. Way to be thrown into the deep end.

He gracefully rose from his spot on the floor and turned to face her, fingering at the gun he’d stashed away on the back of his belt. Her eyes followed the action, narrowing when they picked up on the threat.

“Don’t come any closer!”

Sehun daringly approached her.

“I will shoot!” She warned.

Sehun smirked. Her body language said otherwise.

“Go ahead.”

The noise of an exploding gun was the first thing he registered before the agonising pain blooming from his hip followed through. Sehun clutched at his side with a low groan, but was still aware enough to notice that the shot had come from behind the female officer. Glancing up, he could vaguely make out another form from behind the pain-induced blurry veil obscuring his vision. 

The mystery figure approached him quickly, and before he had time to react he was being roughly guided out of the dining room and out into the dimly-lit corridor. Stumbling over his feet, he tried to wriggle out of the officer’s grip, but every movement aggravated his bullet wound. Gritting his teeth, he gathered his remaining strength and used it to shove the officer away. He finally got his chance to draw his gun and promptly shot all four men in close proximity to him, but they were replaced by their colleagues quicker than Sehun could reload the barrel, and he found himself surrounded again just seconds later. His fingers fumbled as he forced a new cartridge into the pistol, struggling to control the shock-induced shaking of his hands and he pulled down the hammer.

The teenager spun around when a particularly pained grunt sounded. He snarled as he watched three officers swoop in on Jongin who was on his hands and knees on the floor, head hanging low as he tried to collect himself. A group of officers stood idly around the scene, their shields lowered as the three continued to strike at his vulnerable friend with their batons, causing more cries to involuntarily spill past his bruised and bloody lips. 

Shaking off the insistent hands of the officers, he tried to run to the brunette’s aid, but he only made it a couple of steps before a vicious yank on his choker had him reeling backwards, head spinning as his hair supply was cut off mid-breath. He thrashed as a pair of strong arms winded their way across his waist, dragging him away from the crumpled body of Jongin. He fought back, fingers scrabbling against the arms that caged him and profanities falling from behind gritted teeth as more officers reached out to secure his flailing limbs.   
“Get off me you bastards!” Sehun snarled, taking advantage of his position to head-butt the officer behind him. Although his face was protected by the helmet, the man stumbled, the force of the young criminal’s actions disorientating him enough to release him from his hold.  
Sehun groaned as his back hit the floor without warning, but he hastily came to his senses and scrambled up onto his feet. He broke out into a run, ignoring the furious shouts of the men behind him as he sprinted over the heaps of dead bodies towards Jongin, whose limp form was now being manhandled into a standing position by the officers that surrounded him. Their eyes met, and Jongin whispered brokenly.

“Kyungsoo…they got Kyungsoo…”

Alerted by the yells of their comrades, a few officers jumped into action as Sehun threw himself at his friend’s captors. He took several of them on with expertly timed kicks and strikes, dodging the majority of their attacks with ease. But his energy began to dwindle as more and more men joined the scuffle, and he was quickly detained when one of them pulled a gun on him and shot him in the thigh.

“Well, well, aren’t you quite the little martial artist?” A woman’s voice floated past the ringing in his ears, her tone condescending as they grabbed at his prone form. He’d never wanted to spit in somebody’s face so much. But as it was, he didn’t think he could even muster up enough energy to grunt in response, let alone shoot a saliva-filled projectile her way. Not to mention the angle he was being held at and her helmet would make the uncouth action a little challenging, so he opted for struggling as much as he could, but it was difficult with the raging pain flaring up in his leg and the dull throbbing of his hip, subduing his movements little by little. 

Sehun felt himself begin to fade in and out of consciousness as more blood poured from both wounds, making his jeans and shirt sticky and his hands clammy. A cold sweat broke out across his forehead, but he didn’t let his discomfort affect the intensity of his glare.

The officers were less than gentle as they carried him away from the scene, and the teenager couldn’t stop the small whimpers that tumbled from his lips every time they jogged him. He faintly recalled hearing a voice yell after him, but he was too disorientated to figure out who it belonged to. He tried to turn in his head to find the source of the desperate calls only for the movement to overwhelm his beaten body. He promptly passed out to the sound of rushed footfalls and his friend’s panicking.

 

*

 

“Where do you suppose they keep coming from?”

“Who cares? Just help me out here.” Jongdae panted, pressing his back up against the pillar he was taking cover behind.

“I got it.” Chanyeol smirked from where he was stationed behind another pillar. He held up his hand, revealing the small grenade clutched in-between his long fingers. He lobbed the chemical bomb into the group of officers gathering in mass on the other side of the spacious bunker.

A vicious hissing-noise grew as the canister released excess gas before it exploded, the force shaking the foundations of the bunker and causing the neon lights to flicker out. In the darkness, Chanyeol tugged on his respirator and waited for his eyes to adjust.

“Nice throw man.” Chanyeol beamed at the praise, but the bro-moment dissipated when the brickwork behind their heads exploded as bullets rained down from the upper levels. The two instantly ducked, eyes scanning the elevated walkway metres above their cove. 

“Up there.” Chanyeol pointed to the shadowed figure of a man crouched behind the railings.

Jongdae nodded. “I’m on it.” And with that he dashed off into the shadows. 

The red head made sure to get out of range of the snipers, but it lead to him facing the men he’d previously been avoiding. There were considerably fewer men than before, yet he still couldn’t help but be a little impressed at their orderly formation; three small rows of officers stood between him and the only exit, shields and weapons brandished and glinting threateningly in the sparse lighting.

He cracked his knuckles cockily as he calculated the best plan of action.

“Alright then lads, shall we do this?”

The first shot fired barely missed him, and it sent the bunker into chaos, floods of his own unit emerging from their hiding places in the darkness to meet the onslaught of officers charging towards him.   
Chanyeol found himself in a hand-to-hand combat with a particularly feisty officer, who was quickly accompanied by his colleague. Not in the mood to play fair, the giant took the liberty of pulling out his gun when they thought he was bending over in pain and shot them both cleanly through the skull as he straightened up. 

He was caught by surprise a second later as a boot came down hard on the back of his knee. He cursed as he pushed himself up from the cold tarmac, spinning around and sending a strong right hook into the police’s stomach before he could react. The shorter man stumbled back into the trio fighting behind them and was caught by his colleagues, who then proceeded to involve themselves in their scuffle. 

His subordinate took one out of action with a head-butt, which seemed to further enrage the other two officers, so much so that one pulled out his firearm and shot the criminal without restraint. Chanyeol winced and had to shake his head to dissolve the ringing in his ears the gunfire had prompted, but made sure to take advantage of the duo’s stalling (no doubt surprised at his own actions, Chanyeol scoffed) to return the favour.

As two more bodies joined the crypt accumulating on the ground, the red head took a couple of seconds to catch his breath. He leant his forearms on his knees, but straightened up in alarm when he felt bullets kissing at his heels.

Spinning around, he realised they came from the upper levels, and frowned. Jongdae was supposed to have taken care of the snipers by now. Tightening his grip on his gun, he stormed over to the first duo he set eyes on, aiming and shooting at the police officer as he approached.   
He pulled his subordinate in close and motioned for him to relocate onto the balcony, and the man nodded in understanding before heading off, dragging two spare men with him. Satisfied that Jongdae would receive some back up, he turned on his heel and came face to face with another unit.

“Ah shit.” He groaned, cocking his pistol.

A chorus of clicks echoed his own, and he froze. Staring down the barrels of seven guns wasn’t really his cup of tea, and he sucked some air in between his teeth as he contemplated his means of escape.

“Are you guys licensed to carry those?” He chuckled humourlessly, running a hand through his sweaty strands.

“More so than you are boy. Now drop your weapon.”

He glowered challengingly at the officer who spoke.

“That’s an order.”

Chanyeol sneered. “I don’t answer to you.”

The policeman shrugged.

“Have it your way then.”

A second later, the red head found himself on the floor, his face being grounded into the cold tarmac by a heavy boot on his cheek. His breath was knocked out of him, and an officer took advantage of his dazed state to pry his pistol out of his fingertips. More hands snagged on his arms and legs, not giving him the time to collect his footing and hauling him over to a series of loading tables lining the walls before dropping him unceremoniously upon one.

He yelled and kicked out, making every effort to try and loosen the grips of the men, but they held on tight. Snarling, he tried to bite the arm pinning his shoulder down and received a strike to his face in return. His head slammed into the table with the force of the slap, and he groaned as his vision momentarily lost focus. Chanyeol was quick to regain his senses just as a deafening crash echoed in the room. He jerked reflexively, wanting to shield his ears from the loud noise, but it only made the officers grips tighten across his wrists.  
Turning his head to see if he could locate the source of the commotion, he felt his heart plummet into his stomach as he made out two jean-clad legs limply hanging over the crumpled bonnet of one of their vans past the officers who encircled him. His fears were confirmed when he saw another unit flock to the scene and harshly yank the body off of its landing site, Jongdae’s beaten face coming into view. A tall officer dragged the barely-conscious boy over to another guard and then hauled him up into a standing position before cocking his gun, waiting for the other guard to nod before placing it at the brunette’s temple.

Chanyeol wanted to cry out to warn Jongdae, but his voice had gone hoarse, and all that was able to leave his throat was a weak croak. Nonetheless, he began to fight his human restraints again, his actions becoming increasingly violent as he watched the guard squeeze the trigger.  
The red head screamed as he heard the shot, his heart hammering in his ears as he waited to hear the sounds of a body dropping to the floor. But it never came. Cautiously, he opened his eyes, and almost gasped in relief at the scene. Another officer- this one considerably taller than the others- held a very dazed and confused looking Jongdae in his arms and appeared to be shouting at the guard who’d attempted to shoot him. 

Chanyeol couldn’t quite make out their conversation past the ringing in his ears, but the tall officer was clearly angry, and the guard seemed to be arguing with him, if the agitated hand gestures were any indicator. He watched on, getting more and more confused by the second as the two men continued their dispute, more officers running over to try and alleviate the hostility. As he couldn’t make any sense of the situation, Chanyeol let his eyes drop to the small form of his friend, who currently had his right arm draped around the tall guard’s shoulder to ensure he stayed vertical. 

He looked pale and shaken, which Chanyeol supposed was a suitable response to being thrown off a balcony. A very high balcony. His eyes drifted up to the balcony, many metres above. Yep. That was no small distance. He grimaced and reverted his eyes back to the brunette. Jongdae’s eyes were open, but he was clearly out of it, and a myriad of cuts could be seen through the slashes in his shirt. Now that he was really looking, Chanyeol noticed that Jongdae’s left shoulder was definitely not in its designated socket, and he puked a little in his mouth as he regarded the disfigured appendage. 

Chanyeol’s view was obscured for a second as an officer shifted, but when he moved back, the red head noted with alarm how the tall-guard’s arm lifted up and wrapped around Jongdae’s neck, his biceps flexing impressively as he squeezed the air out of the assassin’s windpipe. 

“Jongdae!” He yelped as a baton came down on his arm and hands scrabbled over his mouth to muffle his voice, but he didn’t lessen his struggles. 

Hi screams got caught in the gloved hands of his captors, eyes frantic as the brunette’s own hands flew up to grasp at the officer’s arm that had him in a headlock, his form trembling from the exertion of straining his dislocated shoulder. His eyes began to droop further as spots of dark purple colour bloomed on his sharp cheekbones. He twitched two more times before he fell slack in the guard’s arms.

Seeing his friend being carried away was the last straw for Chanyeol and he surged up from his restraints with power he didn’t know he possessed. He managed to push them away, but they were back on him like a swarm before he could even swing one leg off of the table he was shoved back down and rolled over. His hands were roughly pulled behind his back, and he hissed when the cold metal of hand cuffs encircled both wrists, securing them in place and limiting his movement with a supercilious ‘click’. 

“Know when you’ve been bested, criminal scum.” A low voice spat in his ear, the officer’s warm breath making Chanyeol’s skin crawl in disdain.

He opened his mouth to retort, but the witty comeback died on his lips as a blunt object came down on the back of his head and he blacked out.

 

*

 

Minseok choked, his fingers grappling at the baton an officer had pressed against his throat. Their eyes locked, and Minseok was slightly perturbed by the raw hatred he saw in the other’s orbs. He could feel the pulsing of his failing heart beat pounding in his temple and he strained to gulp in some air, desperate for the sweet taste of oxygen that would sooth the burning in his veins.

And just like that, the torment was over. He gasped in a lungful of air as the pressure was alleviated, falling to all fours and wheezing.

“You okay Minnie?”

Suho panted, offering a hand to the elder, which he gratefully accepted. Once he’d straightened up, the hacker dusted off his trousers and pressed the palms of his hands against his eyes, willing the blood rush to disperse.

Once the black spots in his vison faded out, he realised how silent the hall had become. Short answer: the other residents in the room were too dead to kick up a fuss. Minseok whistled airily, his windpipe still very much bruised as he surveyed Suho’s handiwork.

“Good job. I really thought I was a goner for a second there.”

Suho twirled the gun around his finger nonchalantly as he too glanced at the scene that lay before them. They’d been ambushed by a large SWAT unit as soon as they’d emerged from the basement tunnels, and although it hadn’t been entirely unexpected, they were more outnumbered than they’d imagined. 

“Well you’re not calling it quits on my watch. None of you are.”

Minseok didn’t miss the flash of sadness that took over the other’s features, and he offered a comforting pat on the shoulder. It was obvious to anyone with a brain that Suho wanted nothing more right now than to call up each of the members and check on their conditions. Actually, Minseok was impressed with how well he was fairing; in the past, Suho had been known to lose his shit if one of them didn’t call in every thirty seconds with a health rep. 

“I’m sure the others are fine.” He told the leader firmly. “Let’s just get to the van- one thing at a time.” 

Suho only offered him a grim smile in return, but Minseok knew it had eased his distress to know somebody understood his fears.

“Come on. Let’s get out of this shit heap.” He wrinkled his nose as he glanced over at the maze of bodies scattered across the room. Suho bit his lip, but his eyes weren’t apologetic.

“Yeah…that would probably be best. We are running late now.” He glanced down at his watch to confirm the time.

Minseok indicated towards the door. “After you, boss.”

Suho shook his head and snorted.

“Are you being polite or afraid?”

“Bitch I will smack you.”

“That’s some fighting talk coming from the guy I just did the charity of saving back there.”

“I was handling it.” Minseok hissed, blinking as the two entered a dimly lit corridor.

“Oh yeah, that was transparently obvious.”

“Suho.”

“Minseok.”

The blonde groaned in agitation, the adrenaline rush from his near-death experience heightening his irritation. Suho grinned.

Their banter grinded to a halt as they came to a stop in front of the door that lead to bunker 12. The leader pressed his ear to the door, indicating for his companion to be quiet. The hacker rolled his eyes.

Suho straightened up, his demeanour considerably less playful.

“They’re in there too.”

Minseok swore.

“And the boys?”

Suho shook his head.

“I can’t be certain, but it’s unlikely.”

As Suho began to release the lock, Minseok’s hand shot out to cover his, halting his actions.

“Wait, what’s the plan here?”

Suho grimaced.

“We go in, kick some butt, cram in the car and leave.”

At the blonde’s unimpressed expression, Suho elaborated. “Chances are that the rest of the boys are waiting nearby. If we can draw them out, we may have a fighting chance of making it out of here. Now, are you with me or not?”

The hacker crossed his arms. “How many are in there?”

“I don’t know, do I look psychic to you?”

“Roughly speaking.” Minseok huffed.

“Sounds like a decent crowd; twenty, thirty plus?”

He hummed pensively.

“And if the others aren’t around to help?”

Suho glared at him. “Then we’ll just have to make do Minnie.”

Minseok scowled at the childish name but remained silent. He pushed in front of his leader and unlocked the door. Hand on the latch, he turned to face the shorter male.

“If we die I will personally see to it that your soul never knows rest.”

Suho rolled his eyes and pushed the door open.

Two dozen pairs of eyes met theirs, and Minseok turned to wordlessly ask for direction from the grey-haired male at his side.

“At least they aren’t armed.” Suho hissed before breaking into a run, triggering a surge of movement from the group of officers. They shot towards the two criminals, shouting for them to surrender. Minseok didn’t hesitate, taking off in the opposite direction of Suho and pulling out his shurikens. He twisted around mid-stride and tossed them into the arms and foreheads of the five advancing men. 

The yelling increased, and Minseok willed his legs to move faster as the fallen officer’s colleagues took up the chase. He threw himself onto the grated barrier between two parking bays and began climbing up it, momentarily losing his footing when a few policemen followed suit, shaking the partition violently.

When he reached the top, he cautiously glanced up, sizing up the gap between his precarious position on the edge and the large pipes lining the ceiling. A quick glance down made the decision infinitely easier, and he sprang upwards. 

Once he was safely perched upon one of the thicker metal rafters, the hacker reached into his boot and began to load up his pistol. Hearing the men scramble their way closer to the top of the grate, Minseok slammed the magazine back and steadied his aim, resting his firing arm on his left one and closing one eye to align the barrel properly, just like Jongdae taught him to all those years ago.

His heart stuttered as he let his mental guard down and thoughts of the younger invaded his mind. You better be alive, Dae-ah…

Shouts bought him back to the task at hand, and he shifted his arms again to resume his previous position. Squeezing his left eye shut, he realigned the pistol then squeezed the trigger.

Once all of his magazines had expired, he threw the useless pistol over the edge and focussed on scooting away from the grabby hands of the remaining officers whilst patting down his pockets in search of his last weapon, but he couldn’t locate it.

Cursing his poor luck, Minseok got to his feet and hopped onto the next rafter. He swayed for a second, but he was a man blessed with stealth and good balance, so he managed to gather his footing quickly. He scanned the network of pipes that lay before him, content to see a couple of escape options lay open to him, the closest one being another grate barrier, although he considered the fact that maybe he would have a better chance if he stuck to the rooftop. 

A peek over his shoulder told him that if he was going to play with altitude, the game was going to be a risky one; seven men had managed to haul their way up onto the foundations, and were closing in on him from behind. The blonde also took a second to glance down, grimacing when he saw a flash of grey hair amidst a sea of shiny black helmets. Hopefully Suho would be able to hold them off long enough for Minseok to finish up and help him out. 

Clenching his fists, the hacker turned on his heel and began approaching the collection of SWAT officer’s that were gaining on him. If they were going to make it, they needed to switch tactics and take on the mind-set of a predator, not the prey.

The blonde managed to push the first two men right off their balance, not sparing them a glance as they fell to their deaths. The other five immediately drew out their batons and shifted their stances wearily, but they stayed rooted to their respective rafters, waiting for Minseok to make the first move.

Exhaling through his nose, the hacker eyed each target cautiously, scrutinizing every detail to see if he could find any weaknesses. 

Meanwhile, Suho almost jumped out of his skin when two bodies fall from the air and land in an undignified heap by his feet. The four officers crowding around him also sprang back in surprise, raising their heads in confusion as to where the corpses came from. Suho’s eyes swivelled to the ceiling too, taking advantage of the lull of fighting to assess the situation. It was difficult to make out anything from his position as the rooftop is shrouded in darkness and it wasn’t like Junmyeon had the best eyesight, but he could just about see dark shadows darting from rafter to rafter.  
“Minseok you moron.” He breathes.

As if his whisper broke the walls of a dam, the officers shoot forward and try to disarm the knife in his grip whilst he was distracted, but the leader took a step back, dodging their reach. But suddenly he felt his back pressed against a sturdy wall. A sturdy wall that managed to successfully pry the knife from his fingers, pick him up and throw him up against a grate before his brain could compute what was happening.

 

The cold metal bars that cut into his cheek as a rough hand in his hair pushed his face against the partition insistently broke him out of his shocked stupor, and he began to struggle in the large officer’s hold, but it seemed the man’s grip was going to hold fast. 

“I suggest you make this easy on yourself and just give up.”

Despite his vulnerable position, Suho couldn’t supress an arrogant scoff.

“With all due respect, go and fuck yourself.”

A hard collision to the back of his knees was unexpected, and the pain that flared up his legs had them giving way beneath them, but he refused to collapse. His hands gripped at the grate stubbornly and he gritted his teeth to mute the pained cries as another blow was delivered to his back.   
The hits kept on coming, but Suho didn’t give them the pleasure of reaction. His eyes were squeezed shut, his knuckles and lips white from the pressure of keeping up his silent charade. After what felt like a millennium, the policemen backed off and the grey-haired male felt his legs shake as he straightened up to take a breath. 

“Ready to come quietly?”  
Suho could only vaguely register the words spoken in the irritatingly haughty tone, his head swimming in its disorientation. Nonetheless, he managed to spit out a reply.

“You’d have to kill me.”

This elicited an outburst of obnoxious laughter from the small group, and then the nasally voice responded.

“Not yet, but don’t you worry your pretty little head, your time will come.”

Before the leader could compute the threat, a forceful hit was administered to his back and his legs finally gave way. His head spun sickeningly as it smacked against the concrete ground, his vision darkening in a way that would be concerning if he were able to conjure up any emotion other than utter confusion. 

When his brain finally began to focus, he realised that the nauseating feeling was being caused by the swaying of him being carried off. He tried to wriggle out of the embarrassing position, but his efforts were sluggish and ineffective. Eventually, the gentle rise and fall of the officer’s footfalls lulled his exhausted mind into a light slumber, but not before he saw a familiar patch of blonde fall from the sky.

Minseok had been doing well up to the point that a particularly powerful punch to the stomach dislodged his footing and he fell. His descent was a blur, but the landing he could remember vividly. The excruciating agony that exploded up his body from the impact was only a relief to the man as it confirmed that he was still alive, but other than that, he wasn’t enjoying it.

His lungs eventually remembered their function, and he sucked in a desperate, full and shaky breath that rattled unpleasantly in his aching chest. As his heart rate started to slow, his mind began to clear. His ears were ringing sharply, but he forced himself to concentrate. The hacker tried his best not to panic as the pain resolutely thrummed through his nerve endings, never once subsiding. He started by wiggling his fingers and toes; all good. Thank fuck, he thought. At least I’m not paralyzed.

It was when he tried to engage his arms, legs and neck that he came across difficulty, the agony getting the better of him each time. Just as he was about to make another attempt at shifting his unresponding limbs, a fuzzy image of a face appeared in his patchy field of vision.  
“Well, well, well, looks like humpty dumpty took quite the fall. Luckily for you, you survived it, unlike my colleagues over there. Or maybe that isn’t such a blessing, now that we have you in our custody.”

Dark appendages shot towards his face and he grunted in surprise, but they found their leverage on his arms instead, and suddenly Minseok found himself in a seated position. Oddly enough, the movement managed to clear the haze in his vision and he blinked rapidly as the officer’s face swam into focus. 

Said officer was crouching in front of the injured hacker, his visor pushed out of the way to reveal hard lines and aged skin that spoke of his experience. Noticing the heated glare adorning the blonde’s face, the man delivered a punch to his cheek, ignoring the gasp of pain.

“You and your group of ruffians have caused a lot of trouble for my department for the last few years, and it is my pleasure to be the one to throw you in front of the court. But let me tell you now, you boys don’t have a chance of evading the death penalty, so don’t dream of seeing these skies ever again.”

Minseok’s eyes were glistening with unshed tears, but they hadn’t appeared because of his injuries, or his frustration, or his likely demise, no- he feared for Jongdae, and the rest of the boys who’d barely scraped through their miserable lives to see their twentieth year on the planet. And now that they’d finally found food, shelter and a family, it was being torn away from them by those who’d never known hardship like they had. These people could never hope to understand the reasons and the good intentions behind each and every one of their evil actions. And Minseok supposed they never would, nor would they care to try. 

‘It’s just the way of the world, Minnie…’ Jongdae’s voice resounded in his head, and it hurt his heart to know that people like his lover, who were misunderstood from day one, were never given the chance to live a full and happy life. At the time, Minseok had caressed the younger boy’s gaunt cheek as his damp eyes stared beseechingly into his own. At the time, Minseok had whispered assurances into the teenager’s ear, promising him that one day they would be free. At the time, Minseok had truly believed things would work out…

Seeing a single tear track down the small blonde’s dirty cheek, the policeman’s face stretched into a disgusting grin.

“There now boy, don’t cry. You deserve this.”

He then suddenly hauled the weeping man up, using a death grip on his arm to drag him along. Minseok didn’t care to fight back and simply stared at his blood-stained boots as his sore legs tried to keep up with the policeman’s long gait.

The tears dried on his cheeks as a cool breeze kissed his face and he glanced up. The first thing he registered was that he was now outside and it was dawn, the warm rays of the early morning sun harmonizing with the chill in the air. Then he noticed the mess. The officer had lead him out into the main courtyard of the complex, but Minseok barely recognised it. It was like a war zone; bodies of their men and various police units were scattered haphazardly across the tarmac for as far as the eye could see, staining the blacktop red. Then there was the destruction- large chunks had been cut out of the ground by what Minseok could only assume were bombs, and the windows of the headquarters and the police cars were completely smashed, the shards adding to the cacophony of litter on the ground. The most eerie part though was the silence. There wasn’t a sound to be heard- no birds, no traffic, no signs of human life anywhere, and Minseok held his breath as he and his captor tentatively stepped over the lifeless shells of their men. 

When they exited the courtyard, the hacker located the only sign of life on the premises; a group of police cars closed off the gates to their headquarters, accompanied by several glossy vans just beyond. Minseok began to drag his feet as they got closer, unwilling to be in the clutches of the law, but the officer simply tugged harder, and the blonde fell forward.

They came before the small group of police officers, the few men and women dressed smartly in the standard uniform of the Korean Metropolitan Police Force. Much to his relief, they barely spared him a glance and before he knew it he was being pulled over to one of the vans which was guarded by several SWAT officers- the only survivors, Minseok thought with a small smirk. 

He was unceremoniously dumped into the back of it before he had time to realise he was being manhandled, and he spluttered as he felt hands pawing at his clothes.

The click of a gun being cocked made the hands freeze, and Minseok twisted around to see that they belonged to none other than Jongdae. A frenzy of emotions barreled into him at the sight of his lover. Jongdae had never looked so rough; his hair was greasy, he had a graze on his left cheek and his eyes were empty, yet he was smiling down on him. 

The officer who had a gun trained on them gestured for the two of them to get up and sit on the benches.

Minseok sat himself up slowly only to realise that every other member was sat on either side of him, faces ashen and expressions grim. He stood and pulled Jongdae up to sit them on the benches, but a breathy whine made him stop in his tracks. He glanced down at his boyfriend who was still kneeling in the cramped aisle, outstretched arm being cradled by his other one and his pale features contorted in agony. It didn’t take long for the hacker to identify the problem; the boy’s shoulder was severely dislocated, and he had to fight down the bile rising in his throat at the sight.

Instead he knelt down and picked the younger boy up, managing to seat the other without any other hitches, although Jongdae had to rest his head against the side of the van and take a few deep breaths to will away the discomfort. 

The other men watched the ordeal in silence with the exception of Sehun and Kyungsoo, who were unconscious and slumped against Jongin and Chanyeol. Now that Minseok was seated, it began to dawn on him just how badly they’d lost this battle. The clanging of the prisoner enclosure cage being shut and locked didn’t rouse any of them, neither did the foreboding ‘click’ of the van doors when they were slid shut.

They were buried in darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope all this building up has been worth it. You have no idea how many times I watched the MV whilst writing this chapter (it still hasn’t gotten old). Thank you to those who left kudos’ and commented! I read and appreciated them all so much you can't imagine! <3  
> P.S if you have any ff requests of any kind (and of any Kpop fandom), feel free to send them in to my fanfic blog @smolbeanfanfics on Tumblr!   
> Keep smiling!~


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for that casual 6 month hiatus, I don't even have a good excuse I just struggle to write sometimes bc life is busy busy busy. Anyway, I hope this chapter is okay!~  
> Also sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes.

The truck jolted violently as continued down its trajectory. With each passing second, the sense of dread that smothered the small cabin intensified. The stifling silence was interrupted at regular intervals by the juddering of the vehicle’s components when they hit tough terrain and the anxious tapping of Suho’s foot. He eyed each of the boys in turn, taking in their bleak expressions with a sinking heart. None of them were talking, nor would they meet his gaze, opting to stare blankly at their shoes with grim expressions as the vehicle carried them to their demise. Sehun and Kyungsoo remained blissfully unaware of their unfortunate whereabouts, their heads lolling from side to side in their unconscious states. 

The leader’s heart twinged as he observed the battered state of the six men, but their states were particularly distressing. The youngest’s chest was heaving and his breathing was laboured as his body fought off a state of shock. Both were covered in a sheen of cold sweat, and Kyungsoo was mumbling unintelligible nonsense under his breath. There had been a small medical unit awaiting on scene with the police, which had quickly taken in the two men to attend to their wounds, but they insisted that the group were transported in the same vehicle. Suho growled at the thought; the authorities were only too keen to put his member’s lives in danger. 

When the terrain began to smoothen beneath the wheels some minutes later, Suho knew they had reached the city and his stress levels peaked exponentially. He cautiously stretched his leg across the aisle to nudge Chanyeol’s ankle. The giant slowly lifted his head and shot the leader a weak smile when their eyes met. 

“How are you feeling?” He mouthed. There was a high chance that their interactions were being recorded, and he didn’t want the police familiarising themselves with the group’s dynamics.

Chanyeol huffed deprecatingly and shrugged his Sehun-free shoulder.

“Not great.” He mouthed back. Suho offered him an understanding grin.

The red head leant back, twiddling his thumbs agitatedly as his poisonous thoughts continued to eat away at his sanity.

“Hey.” Suho hissed. That caught the tall boy’s attention, as well as the attention of the three over conscious boys. They shot him puzzled looks, but he ignored them.

“He’ll be okay. He’s smarter than we care to admit.” He mouthed.

This provoked a small chuckle out of the dejected man, and Suho felt the first flower of hope blossom in his chest since the ordeal started. But that warmth quickly dissipated when he felt the truck begin to slow to a halt. Suho held his breath, trying to remain positive by telling himself that they were only waiting on traffic lights, but that possibility was eradicated when they heard the engine switch off and the officers step down from the cabin.

The footsteps moved down the side of the van, and the men waited with bated breath as the officers approached the door. From the corner of his eye, Suho saw Chanyeol wrap a protective arm around Sehun’s waist at the same time that Jongin tucked Kyungoo’s body behind his own. Minseok reached for Jongdae’s hand in the dim light of the cabin and all of a sudden, Suho had never felt so alone. 

The door was flung open and Suho, being directly next to the exit, bought his arm up to cover his face from the cold and the inevitable glare of the flood lights. The draught was most certainly present, but he couldn’t feel the uncomfortable prickle of the station’s outdoor lights on his eyelids. Nor was there any commotion. It was silent, dark, and eerily calm. 

Cautiously, the leader dropped the raised appendage and opened his eyes. He immediately went into defence mode when he saw the two raid officers standing in the entrance. Their faces were hidden behind the tinted helmets, but Suho could only bitterly think that it was for their own good; if they managed to get out of this situation and rebuild their empire, these men would certainly be on their hit list. 

The tall one shifted on the spot behind the shorter officer, and Suho didn’t miss the way Chanyeol’s face contorted into a glower at the sight of the former. The leader could only assume that the two had become acquainted at some point in the night. Peering through the bars of the cage, Suho surveyed their surroundings, body rigid with uncertainty.   
Now that his eyes had adjusted to the early morning gloom, he was able to make out a dimly lit street in what appeared to be one of the grottier neighbourhoods in Busan. 

Ignoring the tension in the air, the smaller officer – maybe it was a female, Suho thought as he studied her slight figure- pulled out a ring of keys from their pocket and unlocked the cage that separated them. The keys accidently slipped from between gloved fingers, and the officer bent down to pick them up. 

In an instant, he or she straightened up with a pistol in their grip, and Suho yelled in surprise before the officer spun on their heel and aimed it at their colleague’s throat. Before anyone could react to the turn of events, the trigger was pulled and the tall officer dropped to the ground. 

The criminals tried not to gape at the scene, but it was difficult given how shocked and confused they currently felt. The remaining officer didn’t address them, instead focussing their attention on disassembling the silencer on the gun and slipping it back into their boot. When they finally turned to face the seven men in the truck, they were met with stony expressions and defensive stances. Suho glared at the officer, arms outstretched to cover Chanyeol and the other boys crowded in the dark cabin.

The officer didn’t speak, but appeared to be scrutinizing them from beneath the tinted visor of their helmet. Suho’s skin prickled at the weight of the policeman’s gaze, but he too kept mum. The two seemed to be caught in a heated gaze before the officer began to raise his hands, and the paranoia drowning the leader’s brain set him into action. 

He jumped out of the cage - ignoring Minseok’s hissed warnings- and began to run towards the enemy, still incredibly confused but not ready to let this golden opportunity of escape pass them by. But before he got close, the officer raised his hands in surrender, a short exclamation that Suho didn’t quite catch muffled by his helmet.

Suho stopped in his tracks, but didn’t let his guard down. He cocked an eyebrow in challenge to the other, who responded by slowly reaching up to his helmet and pulling it off. A sharp inhale of breath came from the cabin as the familiar face was revealed, and before the man was smothered by an emotional red-head.

“Baekhyun, oh my god it’s you, I was so worried just now, oh gosh I thought I’d never see you again-“

Small, breathy chuckles could be heard from where the ravenette’s head was pressed against the ratty fabric of Chanyeol’s shirt, cutting the giant off.

“Yeollie, stop. Breathe for a second- you’re babbling.” The spy rasped. “Also, keep your voice down.” 

Chanyeol gasped in a lungful of air before starting again, firing off questions about his whereabouts and his condition at a million miles a minute, and Baekhyun just shook his head fondly. When the giant showed no signs of stopping, he stood on his tiptoes and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. He grinned at the stunned expression on his lover’s face as he pulled away and patted his cheek, whispering “let’s get us all inside.”

“Inside?” Jongdae piped up, emerging from the back of the van with the help of Minseok and looking even paler than before. Baekhyun frowned as he glanced over at the two.  
“You guys ok?”

Minseok huffed drily. “Not really, but this shelter of yours sounds appealing right now. As long as it’s not a police one.” 

Suho nodded as he helped Jongin step down from the truck with an armful of Kyungsoo. “Yeah I’ve seen enough of them for one lifetime. So where is this mystery building? It better have central heating.”

“I’ll explain everything once we’re out of sight. But I wouldn’t hold up too much hope for five star accommodation in these parts, sorry princess.”

Suho rolled his eyes. Baekhyun’s face was battered and his posture was slumped from fatigue, but his attitude clearly hadn’t taken a hit.

“Whatever, just get us out of this shit hole.” The leader mumbled as he nipped back into the truck to pick up their last member who was left to rest in the dark. Sehun wasn’t the lightest of teenagers, nor was he the smallest, but Suho had a strict exercise regimen and was no stranger to hauling large containers of drugs hence he hefted the limp boy into his arms and exited the vehicle, closing the door behind him with his foot. Careful not to jog the boy’s patchily covered wounds, he joined the group at the edge of the thin alleyway. 

Baekhyun locked the van with a quick flourish if keys before turning back to the dank pathway that lay ahead.

“I’ll have to get rid of that truck later, but for now follow me.”

The spy pulled on Chanyeol’s hand after his own wormed its way into his cold palm, and gestured for the others to slip into the coinciding alley. They all came to an abrupt halt a few well-hidden pathways later when Baekhyun stopped in front of a small doorway, a dingey outdoor light illuminating the poor state of the door. The paint was peeling away to reveal rotting wooden planks and the handle was rusted. Jongdae snorted when Baekhyun pulled out a key from a pocket on his leg and went to unlock the small building.

“Really? You actually lock up this dump? What, are you worried about people breaking in and stealing what’s left of the carpet?” 

Baekhyun shot the peaky-looking assassin a dirty look. “Haha.” He sneered. “You can sleep outside, bitch. But for your information, squatters make the place even more squalid than it already is, so yes-“ he brandished the key and waved it in the air- “this is necessary.”

He threw the door open after finishing his mini rant with an exasperated huff. The boys simply stared at the dim corridor that lay ahead blankly.

“Um, home sweet home?” Jongin mumbled, a slight upturn to his lips despite the bags beneath his eyes that screamed exhaustion.

Baekhyun growled and grabbed at his boyfriend’s hand once more, tugging him inside. “You ingrates. I should’ve just left you in the pigs’ hands to rot.” There was no real bite to his tone, but Suho frowned at him in warning as he crossed over the threshold. 

Minseok shut and locked the door behind them as the eight men gathered in the first room. It seemed to be a lounge of some sort, but the only upholstery present was a long, ratty sofa in front of a fireplace and an old armchair in the corner of the room, surrounded by damp walls on three sides and a draughty window on the other. 

Suho immediately made a beeline for the sofa, quickly depositing Sehun upon it before turning back to the others and clapping his hands together.

“Right. Now we’re here, let’s get everyone comfortable.” He eyed the dirt-ridden carpet in distaste but continued. “We can start by lighting a fire, then we can attend to any more untreated wounds and discuss our next plan of action after you- “he pointed at Baekhyun- “give details on your great escape. And this sad excuse for a hideout.” 

Baekhyun nodded and let Chanyeol ruffle his hair comfortingly as the others got to work. Jongin sat Kyungsoo down on the sofa next to the youngest member, kissing the older boy’s cold cheek and covering him with his extra layer- an oversized black shirt. Minseok and Jongdae left to scope out the rest of the house and Suho grabbed on to Jongin to go and find firewood and a first aid kit.

“The firewood is in the cellar!” Baekhyun yelled. Suho shouted back a confirmation and headed towards the back of the house which left the reunited couple in the room alone. Well, alone with two unconscious friends. 

In an instant, Chanyeol had a hand tangled in the smaller male’s dark strands and his lips crushing the breath out of his lungs. Baekhyun gasped into the kiss, caught entirely off guard, but he quickly began to reciprocate, pushing back with fervour as Chanyeol guided them over to the empty armchair at the back of the room.

The giant felt his knees give way as they hit the chair, and he pulled the spy down with him. Baekhyun grinned at him from his perch, eyes hidden in the most endearing eye smile the red-head had ever seen. 

“Thank God for your existence, Byun Baekhyun.”

The man just rolled his eyes in faux-mockery. 

“Oh stop, it wasn’t anything you couldn’t do.” 

Chanyeol began to kiss down his jaw sweetly. “No, really. Thank you for being so brilliant,” the red-head mumbled in between pecks.

“Yeollie-ah, stop.” Baekhyun whined, his body was beginning to warm up, even without the presence of a fire, and the crotch of his raid armour was beginning to tighten uncomfortably. He whined and tried to relieve the pressure by grinding down on Chanyeol’s strong thigh.

The younger briefly paused his ministrations to smirk against the bruising skin of Baekhyun’s neck. 

“My, my, a little praise and you get all riled up. And here I was trying to keep things PG.”

Baekhyun slapped his chest in agitation.

“In what universe does leaving hickies classify as ‘PG’?” He growled.

Chanyeol glanced up at him, a smug smile pulling at his lips. “Good point. Anyways, I think it’s time we got you out of this monkey suit. I hate seeing you look like them.” His voice lowered dangerously, and the spy felt shivers crawl down his spine, but he couldn’t agree more. He should’ve known that his lover’s deep hatred for the authorities would extend to their uniforms, and all honestly, he would be lying if he said that the feeling of the coarse material of the raid armour didn’t make his skin crawl unpleasantly.

So he helped the tall man de-vest him of the heavy gear, discarding the dark garments on the floor, and leaving the boy in nothing but his boxers and a turtleneck. Baekhyun shivered and moved closer to the giant in search of warmth.

“Those suits were tight as fuck. Had to strip off. I miss my hoodie.” He pouted, explaining his curious state of undress when Chanyeol raised a brow. 

He could feel the vibrations of Chanyeol’s chuckle through his sturdy chest, although it was tinged with sadness for their lost home.

“I think you mean my hoodie. Here.” He gently pried Baekhyun’s hands away from his body to take off the black zip hoodie he’d thrown over his shirts. He slipped it over the smaller boy’s shoulders, and watched silently as Baekhyun absentmindedly played with the decorative chain that connected the lapels of the garment.

“What are we going to do?” Chanyeol whispered, voice cracking despite his best efforts. He couldn’t help it; so many negative emotions were building up within him, the dark swell of the waves threatening to drown any spark of positivity that remained. 

Baekhyun, immediately registering the distress in his lover’s voice, glanced up from the chain. His eyes were swimming with concern, but he knew that someone had to be optimistic. He loved Chanyeol, but the younger often let his doubts and fears consume him and it took an extreme toll on his mental wellbeing. All Baekhyun could do was try his best to provide reassurance and support, like he was now. 

He cradled the man’s head to his chest, pressing a desperate kiss to the fluffy red hair as the younger trembled. 

“We are going to be okay. When Suho returns, we will figure this out together.” He whispered into the freshly dyed locks. Chanyeol nodded against Baekhyun’s lips, taking in a deep breath and trying to focus on his boyfriend to stave off the poisonous thoughts of their likely demise.

“You should get some rest. It’s been a long day.” 

“Says you. I’ll rest once we’ve got a plan. I won’t be able to sleep until then…”

The dark haired male hummed in understanding and hugged the taller man’s head closer and began to relax again when he felt Chanyeol’s large hands begin to rub circles into his bare thighs.

“Where are they with that fucking firewood, I’m freezing.” Baekhyun grumbled. This evoked a short burst of laughter from his lover, which put him at ease. The red head continued to stroke his goose-pimpled thighs but with more vigour as he looked up to meet the ravenette’s eyes. 

“Well you can’t have my hoodie and my trousers. That would be unfair-oh and besides, they’re back.”

Baekhyun’s head whipped around so fast, Chanyeol was concerned that he’d done himself damage for a second. Luckily, the man proved himself uninjured when he bounded over to the leader at full pelt, who yelped in surprise and nearly dropped the large pile of lumber he was carrying on the spy’s bare feet. 

“Baek!” Suho hissed- wary that they were undercover and couldn’t afford to make much noise-, “watch where you’re going!” He pushed past the dark haired boy to reach the fireplace and carefully kneeled down to start stacking the logs by the steel grate.

Jongin, now in tow with a first aid kit, shot the cold man a pitying look before he turned to the couch to see to the two boys’ wounds properly.

“Sorry.” Baekhyun whispered back, fiddling with the hem of the large hoodie as he scowled at his toes that were curling in a futile attempt to seek warmth. Suho ignored him and continued to stack logs onto the fire.

“So…” Baekhyun coughed, uncomfortable with the silence. Chanyeol, having heaved himself up from the armchair with a drawn out sigh, came over to stand by his dejected boyfriend.

“Baek, could you come help me dress Sehun’s wounds?” Jongin murmured from where he was crouched beside the couch, face only a centremetre away from Kyungsoo’s shoulder as he wrapped the older boy’s gun shot wound with intense concentration. 

“Wounds? Plural?” Baekhyun questioned with a tilt to his head.

Jongin opened his mouth to respond, but was beaten to it by Minseok, who slumped into the room, a weary Jongdae in tow. 

“Yeah, Sehunnie got shot at a fair bit.”

“To be fair, we all did, he just wasn’t quick enough to dodge them.” Jongdae said, not unkindly.

Baekhyun just gaped at the two.

“Shit, you guys were shot?”

“why do you think we had to carry their unconscious arses in here?” Suho asked him, turning away from the now roaring fire momentarily to shoot him a disbelieving look.

“I just assumed they’d worn themselves out arguing over Jongin’s ass on the way over.” He snipped, crossing his arms over his chest defensively.

Jongin glared at him. “That’s not funny.”

“C’mon, surely even you’ve picked up the sexual tension between those two. Sehun wants in on your little escapades.” Baekhyun shot him a dirty wink.

Chanyeol nudged the dark-haired spy in warning, but there was a small smirk tugging at his lips.

“Just go help him out.” He whispered.

“Fine.” Baekhyun grumbled, snatching up a roll of bandage and several packs of alcoholic sterilizing wipes before settling down to work on their youngest member.

“For the record, Sehun doesn’t want in. I’ve offered before and he refused.” Jongin scowled. He patted Kyungsoo’s neatly-wrapped shoulder gently as he finished up.

“I did not need to hear that.” Suho said curtly, frowning at the thought of his baby being defiled by the ravenous couple.

“I did.” Jongdae grinned mischeviously. “Spill.”

“Well-“

“Not now.” Suho snapped, shooting a glare at both Jongdae and Jongin, who had the sense to look slightly guilty. 

“You, young man, need to fix that shoulder. Come here.” Suho ordered to Jongdae, who only broke away from Minseok when the older boy shoved him in the leader’s direction with a reassuring smile.

Suho patted the empty space by the fireplace in a gesture for Jongdae to sit as he rummaged around in the first aid kit. He pulled out a small wad of bandages and handed it to the younger boy, who hesitantly placed it in his mouth as a makeshift gag.

“This will hurt.” He warned. Jongdae took a deep breath, and nodded.

On that signal, Suho braced one hand on the other’s back before shoving the displaced limb with a sickening crunch. The boys in the room flinched as Jongdae cried out, his wail barely muffled by the material clenched between his teeth. 

Suho sat back on his heels and appraised his work.

“Well thank god for that. It was left so long I was worried it would take surgery to reduct.” 

Jongdae nodded weakly, head down as he clutched the sore area with his other hand. Minseok moved to sit by his side.

“You gotta move it to make sure he’s done it properly.” Chanyeol said, and Jongdae tentatively lifted his arm and moved it around. 

“It feels fine, thanks Suho.” He smiled gratefully to the leader, who ruffled his dark locks playfully in return. 

“Why don’t we all sit by the fire, and Baekhyun can catch us up on everything.”

They all nodded and gathered around on the cold floor, the warm glow of the flames heating up their chilled skin. 

Baekhyun barely looked up from where he was working on Sehun’s thigh and hip. He fingered at the newly-applied bandaging thoughtfully.

“I’m guessing minor haemorrhaging.”

Suho hummed. “Luckily, yes, and no major organs were hit. Fragmentation was limited too. The medics on site removed the bullet and stitched him up. He fought off shock himself though, which is impressive.”

“Well, it’s hardly his first encounter with ballistic trauma, is it.” Minseok murmured. 

“And Kyungsoo?”

“Same, for the most part, although he did go into shock. They weren’t sure he was going to pull through at first.” Jongin supplied, his voice unwavering.

“Now you’re all caught up with us- let’s hear about you.” Suho demanded, voice steely.

Baekhyun pulled Sehun’s shirt back on, then he turned around to address the other men, all of whom were staring at him inquisitively.

“Where do you want me to start?”

“How did you escape capture? Last time we knew of your whereabouts, you were at the salon.” Chanyeol was the first to speak, eyes imploring as they gazed into Baekhyun’s own.

“Oh, um, half an hour or so after you guys dropped me off to get that stupid-ass document - no offense, Suho- , T.O.P came in. He said some stuff, and took my phone to play your message, Chanyeol.” The red-head inhaled sharply.

“What did he say, exactly?” Suho frowned, tapping his fingers against the floor impatiently.

“He firstly congratulated us on our approach to the Wu Group’s encroaching, but then he went on to chat shit about how we would be missed. He said that our downfall was justice.”

Suho snarled and Minseok swore under his breath, but the others looked more concerned.

“Did he hurt you?” Chanyeol growled.

“No! No, nothing like that, but I panicked when I heard your call, so I closed up and ran straight over.”

“Woah, you ran all the way downtown? Shit…” Jongdae breathed. Baekhyun shrugged.

“Well I was hardly going to leave you guys.” He scoffed. Chanyeol shuffled to wrap his body around him, burying his head into his shoulder. Baekhyun patted his thigh reassuringly. 

“Still, you should probably get some rest. We should all get some rest.” Suho spoke sternly, glancing around the room. 

“Wait, I need to know what we plan to do from here on out.” Baekhyun interjected. 

Suho frowned. “I…had an idea earlier, but I need you all to be on board if we are going to go through with it.” 

The conscious boys sat up a little straighter at the waver in their leader’s voice. 

“Okay…” Minseok murmured uncertainly. 

“I’m thinking revenge.” Suho stated.

The men blinked.

“Wow.” Baekhyun scoffed derisively.

“Shocker.” Chanyeol deadpanned.

“I’m good with that.” Jongdae nodded.

“Let me fuck up some bastards.” Jongin cracked his knuckles, his eyes flashing darkly.

Suho pinched the bridge of his nose as his gang continued to sarcastically voice their thoughts.

“Just shut the fuck up kids. This isn’t going to be our usual slash and dash- in the murderous sense, Dae-ah, stop giggling- in fact, I was thinking that this time round we should experiment with undercover infiltration.”

The others fell silent.

“Into the Wu Group.”

They exploded into noise.

A mixture of shouts, spluttering and hushed curses filled up the room until Suho was forced to remind them to be quiet. 

“No disrespect, but what the actual fuck, hyung.” Chanyeol hissed, pulling an equally flabbergasted Baekhyun further onto his lap. Next to the couple, Jongin inspected his fingernails disinterestedly.

“It does have a certain element of risk to it Suho.” He muttered.

“A certain element of risk? Holy shit please tell me you’re joking hyung.” Jongdae whined.

“Seriously, this is a solid no go.” Chanyeol spoke firmly.

Minseok shot him a glare. 

“Let’s just hear him out, shall we?” He spat at the tall boy.

“Thank you, Minseok.” Suho sighed in relief. At least he raised one of them to have an open mind.

“I still think it’s a fucking stupid idea, but go on.” The eldest sniffed.

Suho rolled his eyes. 

“Right, so I’m thinking we should infiltrate our way into the Wu group, work our way up the ranks and gain the trust of the members, the team and all their business affiliates. When an appropriate and timely occasion arises, we will kill them and take the organisation for ourselves. As retribution for ours.” The leader was curt, meeting the eyes of all of the men in the room as he spoke. 

“What about BigBang?” Jongdae piped up.

Suho smiled at him gently. “I’ll let you guys fight between yourselves over who gets to deal with them, but I assure you their time is coming. They messed with the wrong gang.”

Jongdae and Jongin instantly began to play rock paper scissors, shoving a tired but no less enthusiastic Baekhyun out the way when he tried to join in. 

“Okay then, I guess you’re all on board?” Suho had to get clarification from them all. They couldn’t do this successfully with a divided team, although deep down he didn’t doubt that one of them would back out now. 

“Why not.” Minseok huffed, running a weary hand through his ruffled hair.

Jongdae nodded beside his lover. “Vengeance is kind of my style so…”

Baekhyun, who was still kicking at Jongin for foul play, voiced his consent. “Yeah, fuck it! I want to be the one to crush T.O.P though, promise me that much.” 

Suho chuckled. “Of course, Baek-ah.”

With his boyfriend on board, Chanyeol resignedly agreed. Suho eyed him dubiously, but was certain that Baekhyun would be able to convince him with time. 

Jongin untangled himself from the feisty spy and lay down on the floor with a huff. But his blinding smile and twinkling eyes were all the confirmation the leader needed. 

“Are you actually being fucking serious right now?” A sluggish voice broke the group out of their quiet chatterings.

“Sehun!” Suho gasped, leaping up from the mantle to dart over to the boy’s side, immediately fussing over the youngest.

Sehun adamantly batted the man’s hands away, groaning as his movements tugged at his stitches.

“Shit, shit, shit!” He hissed quietly. “Fuck, anyone have any painkillers?” He glared at the group of men smirking up at him, obviously enjoying his discomfort.

“I’ve got weed.” Jongdae said matter-of-factly.

“Oh, so now you enlighten us to this fact.” Chanyeol scoffed. “Fucking hogging it all to yourself as per usual!” 

Jongdae growled at the red-head. “Hey, I paid for this out of my own pocket, back off bitch.”

“But you’re willing to share it with the brat? Where is the loyalty?” The chemist wailed dramatically, making his boyfriend erupt into giggles. 

Suho just shook his head fondly at their childish antics. God, why did he put up with these men? He could be such a sentimental sap sometimes. More often than not, he had to take a step back and remind himself that he wasn’t actually their mother, although there was no doubt they were a family. 

“Here,” Jongdae offered the maknae a joint he had pre-rolled.

Sehun gestured weakly to his pursed lips, and Jongdae rolled his eyes as he balanced the filter between the boy’s plush lips before pulling out his lighter and allowing the boy to take a large drag before removing it. As Sehun pushed the smoke past his lips, he shot the assassin a small but grateful smile. 

“Where is this place? It’s cold.” Sehun croaked. All heads turned to Baekhyun, but the spy avoided their eyes, rubbing his bare legs uneasily from his place in Chanyeol’s lap.   
“Uh, it’s a friend of a friend’s house. It’s completely safe though, and not currently inhabited, so we can stay here as long as we want.” Baekhyun said, turning into his boyfriend and nuzzling his neck. “I’m exhausted, shall we settle down for the night?” 

Chanyeol nodded, and the couple excused themselves as Baekhyun led them out of the cosy room and up the stairs. 

Suho turned to the rest of the boys who sat in a comfortable silence. “I think we should all get some shut-eye now. We can plan out the finer details of the operation tomorrow. We will also need to go on a supply run. Who is going to sleep where?”

The men sluggishly divided off into the house, finding any available surface they could to settle down. In the end, Suho stayed in the lounge with Jongin, Sehun and Kyungsoo. The spy had just returned with some thread-bare blankets in his hand, and Suho took one gratefully as Jongin tucked another around the two injured men on the sofa. 

“It’s uncomfortable.” Sehun pouted as he cautiously pulled the blanket up around his face. 

Suho ruffled his hair softly. “I know, but it could be a while before we live comfortably again, so please bear with me.” He whispered.

Jongin sighed. “Don’t you start blaming yourself for our current situation Suho. You’ve done what you could and more. If this plan of yours works, we could finally be at the top of the Korean criminal empire. Don’t apologise for having supported us and our pathetic arses your entire life.” 

Suho didn’t reply, instead pulling the younger boy in for a brief hug that the two relished in. 

“It’s what a big brother should do.”

Jongin nodded and pulled away, smiling at the boy.

“Yeah. So as your brother, I promise you I will do all I can to help us recover our stolen title.” He held out his hand, and Suho shook it.

“I believe you Jongin-ah. And now it’s my turn to promise you that I will do everything in my power to protect all of you.”

“You don’t have to do that, Suho.” Sehun whispered from the sofa, eyes closed and otherwise seemingly asleep. “It wouldn’t be your fault, if one of us got hurt.” He turned his head and opened his eyes to stare at his hyungs, his battered face illuminated by the fire light.

“Go to sleep, Sehunnie.” Suho murmured. 

“No, I…I remember…” 

Jongin frowned as Suho walked over to crouch down beside the boy. 

“What?”

Sehun’s eyes darted around the room. “This house. I remember being in here.”

Jongin looked at Suho. “What?”

But Suho simply nodded, coaxing Sehun to speak by carding his fingers through his hair. 

“When?”

“I was young, maybe four? But…it was different. This is Baekhyun-hyung’s house, isn’t it?” He whispered, eyes fluttering closed once again as the drugs worked through his system. 

“Yes, Sehun-ah, you’re right.” Suho pressed a kiss to Sehun’s temple before getting to up to construct his own bed. He spent a few minutes laying down a series of blankets under Jongin’s heavy gaze, and only once he’d got into the bed did he address the assassin.

“Problem?”

“This is Baekhyun’s house?”

“His childhood house, yes.”

"So why didn't you say anything? You knew the truth this whole time?"

"It wasn't my place, Nini..."

“So this is where you-“

“Yes.”

“It doesn’t look very burnt.”

“I had it restored a few years back.”

“Why?”

Suho shot him a pointed look.

“For Baekhyun, of course.”

“Why would Baekhyun want to remember his past?”

“I don’t know, but he asked me to restore the house, so I did. You should ask him if you’re curious.”

“Ok.”

Jongin paced around a couple of minutes longer before settling down next to Suho. 

“How does Sehun remember this dump?” 

“He was with me at the time.”

“What?” Jongin whisper-yelled. Suho sat up slightly to face Jongin. 

“What do you expect? I couldn’t just leave him, Jongin, he didn’t have anyone!” 

“So you just bought him with you as you killed Byun’s family? You could’ve traumatised him at that age!”

Suho scoffed, snuggling back down into the covers. “I’m surprised you care. He was fine. He didn’t see anything. Now, we’ve had a very trying day and there are many more challenging ones on the horizon, so goodnight, Jongin.”

Jongin huffed, but tucked himself into the blankets, eyes carefully tracing the peaceful planes of Kyungsoo’s face before letting them drift shut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> eyyy some context/backstory for you kids! Suho is lowkey a scary fucker ;)

**Author's Note:**

> First chapter complete!~  
> I hope you guys liked it and it wasn't too long ;v; The pace of this fic will be pretty even, so yeah let me know if you want me to alter the speed of progression. Constructive criticism is always appreciated!  
> I would like to thank my sister for editing all my hideous grammar and spelling mistakes because I won't lie, without her it would've been illegible (and painful to read- her words).  
> Until next time! :3


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